Élan Synthesis
by Masonyellow
Summary: I was free falling, ready to transcend into afterlife. Imagine the shock when I woke up as Bella Swan inside the Twilight book.
1. Free falling

**Bella's POV**

Standing on the top of the Sydney harbour bridge with my eyes closed, I can feel the wind hit my body like a full body hug.

"_This is it" _I told myself. "_It's time to let go_. _Goodbye sad life_, _Ella T is out of here._" And with that final thought, I unhooked my harness and let myself free fall backwards off the bridge.

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"Ms? Excuse me, Ms? The plane will be landing soon. Could you please move your seat back to upright position?"

I opened my eyes and looked around. _Huh_?_Where am I? How did I get here? _

"Ms? Are you okay?" asked the brunette air hostess.

With the years of practice on not drawing attention to myself, I looked up at the air hostess and automatically nodded. _What the hell is happening? Did I knock my head hard when I landed off the bridge?_

I looked around me trying to find any sort of clue. It's obvious I'm on a plane. I looked down to my feet and saw a backpack on the floor, so I picked it up and looked inside. The bag was quite empty. There's only a thin wallet, an old Nokia mobile phone, and a crumpled up envelope.

I opened up the wallet first. Inside was a couple of American dollar notes, some old receipts, and a learner's permit. _Isabella M Swan. 15 years old. United States of America? US dollars? The hell?!_

I turned to look at the person to my left, then to the person on my right. Both middle aged ladies definitely looked nothing like this pretty teenage brunette white girl on the driver's license photo. I stared so long and hard at the wallet that when I felt a tap on my left shoulder, I jumped in my seat.

" Honey, you ok? That's a lovely ID photo of you. Why the frown?" said the lady sitting on my left.

I looked up at the lady with a thick American accent. _She thinks I look like her? I'm not even the same size or race as this Isabella? I'm an overweight Aussie Chinese with olive skin, and this Swan girl is pale, slim, with beautiful hazel green eyes. Seriously, the only thing we remotely have in common is our long wavy brunette hair. This lady needs to get her eyes checked._

"You think we look alike?" I asked the lady with confusion in my voice.

"Of course dear! You young girls need to stop being so hard on yourselves. You are very photogenic. See for yourself!" Stated the lady, as she handed me her pocket mirror.

I looked into the mirror and got the shock of my life. _Wtf? This must be some prank! Is this some sort of Japanese game show where people are secretly filming my reactions? Maybe I landed on my head, and this is part of the side effects of my brain injury. Yup, makes sense._

Being in such deep thought, I didn't even notice our plane landing. "Dear? Can I have my mirror back please? We've just landed, and I'd like to get off this stuffy old plane as soon as possible." Said the lady.

"Right! Sorry. Here you go. Thanks." I replied with an embarrassed blush while handing her the pocket mirror.

My mind was still spinning with questions, but deciding to worry later. I quickly grabbed my bag, and followed everyone else off the plane, trying to look like I know what I'm doing. Since I honestly have no idea where I was, nor do I have a clue on where my destination was suppose to be, once I reached the arrival hall, I dug through the backpack again, remembering an envelope I saw inside.

Inside the envelope was a passport, and three pieces of paper. _Hmm...Change of custody paper, Hospital referral letter, and a Note to Bella? Am I a runaway foster kid or something? _I guess a good starting point would be to read the letter for Bella.

"Bella, I have had enough. You have been nothing but a burden to me. I'm sick of having you hold me back from experiencing the good things in life.

Don't try to contact me, and if your memories come back, keep a lid on it. It's not like anybody cares anyway.

I, _Renee Dwyer, hereby declare I give up all rights of custody of Isabella Marie Swan, and nominate Charles Swan to take over full custody. If he is unwilling, get him to call child services. Effective immediately__."_

_Wow. Even as this girl, I still have a lousy mother. Wait. Bella Swan. Charles Swan. Renee? Aren't those characters from Twilight?! I'm Bella Swan now?!_

_*Faint*_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_*Beep *Beep *Beep_

_Ow, why is my head throbbing?_ Opening my eyes, the first thing I felt was bright lights blinding me. I closed my eyes immediately, and attempted to open them again slowly. _Much better._ On the far left corner, I can see a nurses station with a few staff sitting and chatting. One of the nurse must have sensed my movements, because she looked up at me and greeted me with a friendly smile. Upon seeing the cringe on my face due to my throbbing headache, she rushed over to me, and pressed a red button.

"I'm glad to see you're finally awake! How you feeling? Can you tell me your name? Do you know where you are? Is there anything I can get for you?" ranted the nurse.

"Can I have some water please? Perhaps something for my headache too? And where am I?" I asked shyly.

The nurse immediately poured me a cup of water, and went off somewhere. Not long after, she came back with a little cup with pills in her hand, accompanied by a very handsome young doctor who looks too well put together to be real.

"Hello, Bella. It's nice to see you awake. I am Dr Carlisle Cullen, the MD of Forks hospital. How are you feeling? You gave your father quite the scare." said Dr Cullen dazzlingly .

I looked at Dr Cullen and suddenly remembered, _that's right...I'm now magically living in Twilight world, and in the body of Bella Swan. This is so weird. So much to adjust to. And this guy is suppose to be a vampire? I really can't tell._

"Bella? Can you hear me? Are you okay?" asked Dr Cullen with concern, as he tapped my shoulder gently.

"Yea, sorry I spaced out for a moment. I don't remember anything. How did I end up here?" I asked curiously.

"Chief Swan was at the airport waiting to pick you up. He saw you faint by the baggage collection area. You hit your head pretty hard on the floor, so he called an ambulance and requested you be sent here directly to be treated by me. You certainly gave him quite the scare, Bella." Dr Cullen recalled with an amused but polite smile.

_Well that explains my headache. _I nodded while looking around the room trying to find my Twilight father, Charlie Swan, but couldn't see anyone remotely resembling a middle age man.

"If you're wondering where your father went, he's just gone out to pick up some dinner from the diner. I've notified him that you have woken up, so he should be back very soon." said Dr Cullen reassuringly.

_Diner? I've seen heaps of those in American tv shows. Definitely will need to get my new dad to take me there sometime soon. _

"Bella! Are you sure you're okay? You seem to be spacing out a lot. I've reviewed your medical records from Phoenix. It appears you've obtained a major head trauma about a fortnight ago, which resulted in selective amnesia. Has there been any improvements since then? Are there any current persisting symptoms which concerns you? Are you aware of what may have caused you to faint at the airport earlier today?" asked Dr Culled rapidly without even taking in a single breath.

Now I can see how he may be a vampire. That guy didn't inhale even once since I met him.

"Slow down, Dr Cullen. I'm feeling fine. Just a minor headache. And I honestly can't tell you anything. I don't remember anything. I don't even remember how I got on the plane, nor did I recognise myself in the mirror. Sorry I'm not much help, doc. You probably know more about me than I do." I replied jokingly.

I decided it's easier to tell half truth,half lies. Selective amnesia was definitely the perfect way to explain my lack of knowledge on anyone or anything. It can basically justify any odd changes to my personality or preferences. It especially saves me from having to explain things like why I had an Aussie accent. Everything can be thrown into the mystery that is my amnesia. _Poor Dr Cullen._

From what I remember in the Twilight book, I vaguely remember Dr Cullen to be a curious man. His mind is probably working overtime on the mystery that is me. I wonder how much fun it will be if I start speaking fluently in Chinese to him. He will probably go into shock.

While I was lost in my thoughts again, Charlie Swan had returned. I was drawn back to reality when a heavenly smell hit my senses. _Mmm...I need some of that food..._

Looking around for the source of my salivation, I spotted an awkwardly shy looking middle age man with short brunette hair and a neatly trimmed moustache. In his hand was a large brown paper bag. _I really hope this man is Charlie Swan. And I certainly hope that big bag of food in his hand is for both of us!_

"Uh, hey Bella. Not sure if your remember me. I'm your dad, Charlie. How are you feeling?"asked Charlie, while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

_Score! That food will be mine!_

I tried to contain my excitement over the food, and gave Charlie a friendly smile.

"Hi Charlie! I'm Bella. I'm feeling okay. Is that food for me?" I said enthusiastically. I could hear the staff around us laugh at our interaction. Well, so much for keeping it cool. Poor Charlie looked at me so awkwardly, not really knowing how to react.

After a short pause, Charlie smiled gently, nodded, and handed me the bag of food. I opened the bag with so much excitement, I could hear both Charlie and Dr Cullen chuckle softly at my enthusiasm. I pay them no mind. My focus was solely on the food right now. I mean, this is my first taste of authentic American diner food after all. _OMG! I'm in America, eating diner food! This is so surreal! _

What I find in the paper bag had me leaping forward to give Charlie a big hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Dad! This all looks amazing!" I said happily, while hugging him.

"You're welcome, kiddo. Glad your taste hasn't changed over the years." replied Charlie while awkwardly hugging me back gently.

Charlie bought me Mac and cheese, hot curly fries, fried chicken, and a slice of baked cheesecake. It appears young Bella Swan has the same taste in food as me. _Wonderful! _Now fingers crossed that I'll find some Asian food here too. Can't live without that.


	2. Breathtaking

**Carlisle POV**

In all my years of being a doctor, you would think I have seen it all. As I stood next to Chief Swan observing Bella savouring each bite of food like a baby trying new food for the first time, I can't help but find her endearing and so very fascinating. She really was a medical mystery. From talking to Chief Swan, I had the impression that Bella didn't exactly have the best experience living with her mother in Phoenix. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a deeper root cause for her amnesia than what those medical records seem to indicate. She seems to space out a lot, and in those moments, she looked as if she was experiencing many different emotions all at once.

"Bella? May I ask you a few questions?" I asked, using a tone I deemed friendly.

"Mmhmm, sure." Bella replied with a mouth full of food.

I can't help but laugh while watching her shovel food in her mouth like a chipmunk. Food really does seem to be the way to this girl's heart. That might come in handy for future reference.

"Okay. First I want to ask you about your mother. Do you remember anything about her?" I asked.

I could see Bella tense up mid chew, and hear her heart skip a beat, then accelerate at a concerning rate, but her face gave away nothing. She looked calm. Once she resumed her chewing, and swallowed the food, she looked up at me.

"Sorry doc, I don't even remember what Renee looks like. All I know of her was what that note in my backpack says. Feel free to read it." Bella replied casually while looking around for her backpack.

**Bella POV**

God, this food was good. It really has been a long time since I've felt food burst with flavours in my mouth, and felt so happy eating in such hearty portions. Ever since I hit the clinical stage of depression in my old life, my sense of taste had significantly declined. Where eating and cooking was once my passion, it had become nothing but a mundane fatigue task.

I can feel Charlie and Dr Cullen stare at me while I rotated between eating the wings, pasta and hot chips. I really don't mind. I mean they are smiling, so that's good right?

When Dr Cullen suddenly questioned me about my mom, I felt like someone drenched me with a bucket of ice water, because I suddenly remembered, _Her. _She was the person who I associated with feelings of _anger, fear, hate, disgust, _and most significantly, _guilt._ She was the person who brought out the worst in me, and made sure I stayed a loser under her control. She was the ultimate manipulator. A narcissistic woman in sheep skin. Someone who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. The thorn in my heart. The final push I needed to jump off that bridge.

Mentally shaking myself out of those dark thoughts, I remembered where I currently was. This wasn't my world. This is the Twilight world. I am far away from all those people and bad history now. I am getting a fresh start. And it's looking good already. I mean obviously Bella didn't have much luck when it comes to mothers either it seems, but at least Renee was straightforward about her feeling, and didn't keep Bella around as a stress toy.

I swallowed my food and turned to answer Dr Cullen, who was standing there patiently waiting for my response. I told him what I recalled on the note from Renee, and hoped he will leave the whole "mom" topic alone.

I spotted "my" backpack on the chair next to my bed, and dug out the envelope with all the paper work, passing it over to Dr Cullen. It's quite cute watching both Charlie and Dr Cullen bring their heads in to read the paper works together. They look like mirror twins, changing identical expressions from curiosity, to fury, to finally relief?

While the mirror twins continued to read those papers, I resumed my task of enjoying my very first American diner take out. If this meal is any indication of how my new life will be like, I am looking forward to it already.

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**Carlisle POV**

After discharging Bella this morning, and setting up our next check up appointment, I left the hospital. As I walked into the house, I was hit with the smell of Mac and cheese. Normally I would cringe at the awful smell of human food, but in this moment, I couldn't help but laugh.

Esme walked out of the kitchen, and came over to greet me with a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, dear. What's so funny?" Esme asked me curiously.

"Oh, it's the smell of your baking. It made me think back to my newest patient. Her name is Bella. She is Chief Swan's daughter. She had the most endearing reaction to the bag of take out food her father brought for her to eat last night. She looked like a baby trying new food for the first time, shoveling spoons full of mac and cheese into her mouth like a rationing chipmunk." I recalled fondly.

As I continued to go into details on Bella's condition, and why she was here in Forks, I could see many emotions running across Esme's face. She had a soft smile as I described Bella's eating experience, then glints of fury and something unidentifiable, when I told her about how Bella ended up in Chief Swan's custody. I even shared the suspicions I had of abuse Bella may have experienced from her mother, which might explain the head trauma, amnesia, and Bella's accelerated heart rate, when her mother was mentioned.

I rarely shared details of my patients at home, nor do I ever really feel personal emotions towards humans. But Bella was different. I can't exactly pin point what it was about her that drew me in, but I knee for sure that Bella Swan will definitely be making dreary old Forks just a bit more interesting.

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**Esme POV**

I like to cook up a storm in my kitchen at least once a month. Sometimes Edward or Rosalie would help me too. Although the cooking smell was awful, and my "Kids" would mostly scatter far away until the house aired out, I just loved it. It is in moments like these, that I felt human again. Usually I'd take all the food I cook down to the local soup kitchen, or to the hospital when I visit Carlisle.

There will be a charity fundraising event happening this evening at the local community centre, so I had the perfect reason to roll up my sleeves, and utilise my otherwise untouched kitchen.

I looked around my kitchen taking mental notes to make sure I made everything. I've got cookies cooling on the racks, a mountain stack of rice crispy bars ready for wrapping, and two large pans of Mac and cheese baking almost to perfection in the oven. While loading the dish washer, what sounded like Carlisle laughing quietly to himself in the foyer caught my attention. _Well that's different. _

It was quite the rare sound to hear from him. Carlisle wasn't really a laughing kind of man. Something significant must have happened to him today. I headed out of the kitchen, and went over to greet my husband in the foyer with a kiss. I asked him what has him laughing, and listened attentively as he described all that had happened last night with his newest patient, Bella.

I can't help but feel a wave of affection for this young girl that I haven't even met yet. I was also feeling furious with what her so called 'mother' did to her. And even more so with what Carlisle suspected might have also happened. _How could someone treat their child like that! And to throw them away like yesterday's garbage while saying all that?! Monster! I hope I never meet that woman. Who knows what my inner beast would do to her._

**Rosalie POV**

After feeling fully sated from my hunt with Emmett and Edward, I decided to take a leisurely human paced stroll back home. The boys being their usual bickering restless selves, decided to spar in the forest a bit longer. As I got within hearing range of the house, I picked up Carlisle's voice. _Bella. A mystery girl that has someone as unwavering and professional as Carlisle intrigued. She even seemed to have Esme emotionally involved already. I need to see for myself. I hope she isn't a threat to our family. If she is, this can get messy._

" Hey Rosie! What are you standing there for? Old age catching up with you?" teased Emmett as he threw a hand full of leaves at me, and sped off towards the house.

"You idiot! Come back here!" I yelled as I chased Emmett towards the house.

Emmett suddenly stopped inside the main entrance of the house, making me almost crash into his back.

"Wow, Pops! What kind of human cologne have you been spraying? It smells like the mouth watering waffles my mother use to make for me as a child. Come over here, I'm feeling all needy. Come give your favourite son some warm hugs." said Emmett with his arms wide open like a toddler, gesturing his hands at Carlisle to come to him.

Carlisle looked at Emmett with a raised eyebrow, but walked over to give him a hug anyway. Emmett being the man child he is, just squealed like a school girl and reciprocated Carlisle's hug tightly. _What was that all about? _

Out of curiosity_,_ I also took in a deep breath. I was stunned. The indescribable scent I just inhaled shook me to my very core. I felt a burst of hot white light hit my entire body, pushing out the years of dark heaviness I have been carrying with me. It felt like everything negative in my life just evaporated from my body in that moment. I felt nothing but lightness and contentment. _Holy crap...what just happened?_

"Rosalie? Honey? Are you okay? Are you in need of a hug too?" asked Esme in a humorous but also slightly concerned tone.

"I don't know what just happened. I took a deep breath, a..and the scent lingering on Carlisle...it..it changed everything in me!" I replied to Esme with a shaky voice.

"What do you mean? What changed in you?" asked Carlisle, who still had Emmett clinging onto him.

"When I inhaled that scent on you, I suddenly felt this hot white light hit my entire body, pushing out all the negative thoughts and feelings! It's like the feelings from any painful experience I've ever had in my entire existence just...evaporated." I explained.

All three of them looked at me with wide eyes, not really knowing how to respond. I can imagine just how fast the gears in Carlisle's head must be turning in this very moment. He looked like he had a thousand questions he'd like to ask, but in the end, he just let out an an exasperated sigh. He detached clingy Emmett from him, and turned to face Esme.

"Esme? What about you? Does the scent of Bella Swan affect you too? ask Carlisle curiously.

"Well Bella's scent is certainly pleasant, kind of like a mix of freshly bathed baby and frangipani, but I'm not experiencing anything significant like Rosalie. Just the occasional waves of affection while you were telling me about Bella." Esme explained while she smiled lovingly at Carlisle.

"Well it seems Bella's scent has some kind of effect on all of you. Just to clarify, does her scent trigger your urge to feed off her? asked Carlisle.

"OF COURSE NOT!" screamed Esme with a look of disbelief.

"HELL NO!" shouted Emmett with arms crossed.

"I WILL KILL WHOEVER EVEN DARES THINK ABOUT TRYING!" I growled out defensively without even thinking.

Suddenly six pairs of shocked eyes were looking at me. If I could blush, I would be fire engine red right now. Somewhere between our intense conversations, Jasper, Alice and Edward had also returned home_. Kill me now..._


	3. Load up, Charlie

**Charlie's POV**

I dropped my keys on the coffee table, sat down heavily on my trusty old lazy boy recliner, and closed my eyes with a sigh of relief. I have never felt so exhusted in my entire life, both emotionally and physically.

Yesterday I woke up expecting my working morning to go the same way it did for the last 12 years; reading the morning papers while eating a hearty breakfast at the diner, then heading to work hoping for a smooth day.

I wasn't expecting to be interrupted by one very vague text message from Renee that flipped my whole day upside down. I had to read her message multiple times to make sure I wasn't misreading anything.

I was furious. How could she just casually tell me she was giving me full custody of Bella, and that I had to pick her up from the airport this afternoon? _She keeps Bella away from me for 12 years, barely a word of their whereabouts, and suddenly she throws Bella back to me like she means nothing?! What the hell is wrong with that woman! _

I felt so blindsided, and extremely worried about what to expect when I finally met Bella again.

Knowing my time before Bella's arrival was limited, I quickly called into the station to let them know I would be out of the office for the next few days, dropped Sue, Wesley, and Billy a message to update them on what's happening, then headed over to Port Angeles to buy some basic essentials I'd imagine Bella would need for her first night back _home_.

While trying to shop for Bella, I felt so guilty. I realised just how little I knew about my daughter. The most recent photo I had of her was taken when she was 10 years old. I didn't even know what she looked like right now. So you could imagine my panic when I witnessed said girl faint, and hit the floor in the middle of the airport when I went to pick her up.

Thankfully, I was able to convince the paramedics to send Bella directly to Forks General Hospital. Dr Cullen was a godsend to Forks. He was very attentive towards Bella, and patiently answered any concerns I raised. Seeing how tightly wound up I was, he even encouraged me to go take a breather outside and eat some dinner, reassurring me that he would notify me of any changes to Bella's condition.

I was happy to see Bella awake and alert when I returned from dinner. She looked almost excited to see me, but then I noticed she was actually eyeing the bag of take out I bought for her. _Still about the food, I see. _When she spoke to me for the first time, I was surprised. She spoke with what sounded like an Australian accent. _I've really missed out on a lot..._

It's a good thing I was in the hospital, because when I read through Bella's medical history, her custody papers, and what that pathetic excuse of a mother wrote to Bella in her 'farewell' letter, I felt like I was going to either have a stroke, or experience some form of mental breakdown_. My daughter has amnesia due to an unknown head trauma? Unknown head trauma? Amnesia?! This is my fault. I should have been there to protect her. Why was I so naive to entrust my daughter with that flaky woman. I should have fought harder._

I still remember the very first time a new born baby Bella was placed in my arms by Sue. It was both terrifying, and the most amazing feeling in the world. I didn't dare move a muscle, worried I might scare her, or even worse, drop her. Afterall, Bella was the first baby I had ever held. When I looked at her sleeping face, I couldn't believe how much I loved her already. She had the cutest pair of rose tinted chubby cheeks, a wild tuff of hazel brown hair peaking out from the edge of her beanie, and when she gave out the biggest yawn, I almost melted on the spot. In that moment I just knew, I knew I would do anything to protect her. There was nothing I wouldn't do to give my daughter her best chance in life.

That was why, when Renee decided she couldn't handle living in boring old Forks anymore, I let her leave with my precious daughter.

Now that I look back on it, I really should have fought harder to retain at least partial custody of Bella. She was only three years old at that time. I should have thought harder about the consequences of entrusting my daughter with such an impulsive and somewhat reckless woman like Renee. I mean not that I'm not partically at fault, but Renee just made so much sense at that time. She gave so many vaild reasons as to why she should be the one to have full custody of Bella. She rationalised that every little girl needs their mother, and that by allowing Bella to travel the world with her, Bella would be given more opportunities in life, much more than she ever would living in Forks. She even used my biggest fears against me. She had me convinced that being a rookie police would leave me no time to properly raise a little girl by myself; that the irregular hours of my job would deeply deprive Bella a sense of security; and even worse, how my position in law enforcement could possibly expose Bella to all sorts of dangerous criminals. _Seriously_, _hindsight really was a bitch. How could I have been so stupid and not see Renee's obvious emotional manipulation!_ _Sighs...I guess all I can do now is move forward, and do whatever I can to make amends with Bella._

I was so lost in my thoughts that it's only now did I notice where Bella was. The poor girl looked utterly out of place, sitting rigidly on the couch adjacent to me. I can see she was curious, roaming around the lounge room with her eyes, but she never moved from her spot on the couch, nor did she seem to have anything to say. _Hmm...how can I help her warm up to me and feel more at ease? Think, Chief Swan. Oh, I know! Food!_

Using what I hope was a friendly and open manner, I sat up and turned my body to face Bella.

"Hey, Bella? Are you hungry? Would you like to go out to get some late breakfast? We could head out to the diner after I show you around the house, maybe also do some shopping for groceries and whatever else you might need as well?" I asked hopefully.

Bella looked at me with a shy smile and nodded. I can see she was trying to contain her excitement, with how she was biting on her lower lip and sitting on her hands while slightly bouncing we feet. I could understand her hesitancy, because I myself am also naturally a quiet and laid back kind of person. But perhaps I need to step up my game a bit. I am after all a full time father to a teenage girl now. Maybe if I make myself more open and outgoing, Bella in turn will also feel more comfortable expressing her thoughts and opinions. So with a lot more enthusiasm than I am accustomed to, I got off the recliner, and gestured for Bella to follow me.

**Bella POV**

After doing one more round of health assessments this morning, Dr Vampire finally gave me approval to be discharged from the hospital. _Yay! _The first thing I noticed once exiting the hospital was the foggy mountains. They looked amazing! After staring at them for a few more moments, I followed Charlie to his car. I found myself standing on the same side of the car as him while I waited for the doors to be unlocked.

" Um, Bella..were you hoping to drive us home or something?" Charlie asked while looking at me with a confused expression.

" What? No, of course not. Why do you ask? Are you feeling too tired to drive us?" I replied feeling just as confused as Charlie looked.

"That's not it at all, Bella. I was just asking, seeing as you look just about ready to get in the driver's seat." Charlie commented with a light chuckle.

With my thoughts so focused on those majestic mountains, it totally slipped my mind that American cars have their driver's seat on the opposite side to Australia's._Oh my god...how embarressing! _

"Right, sorry. My focus was elsewhere." I replied while walking awkwardly over to the passenger's side.

By the time we arrived at Charlie's house, I felt just a bit light headed from what I suspect was sensory overload. The drive between the hospital and Charlie's house was only a few short minutes, but in that span of time, I looked at any and everything we drove pass. It was all so new and different to me. As Charlie pulled up infront of his house, I couldn't help but smile. This double story house reminded me of the one I saw in the movie _A Walk to Remember_. Hopefully my new life here won't be one resembling Jamie Sullivan's. Well at least not the bullied at school and cancer death part. I wouldn't mind experiencing some sort of epic romance.

I slowly got out of the car, and followed Charlie into the house. The first thing I noticed about the house while standing in the foyer was just how empty it looked. To my left, I can see a dining room that looked like it hadn't been used for years, and to my right, I saw the TV lounge room where Charlie was currently seated. It appears to be the most lived in area of the house. As I walked over to where Charlie was sprawled out on his lazy boy, I could see a door way that I'm guessing led into the kitchen.

Not wanting to impose, I just sat politely on the sofa near Charlie. With the silence of the house, and seeing Charlie just relaxing with his eyes closed, I suddenly felt very out of place, and not quite unsure what to do with myself. _Oh great..._my tummy also decided this was the perfect time to start gurgling. _Come on, Ella! Don't be difficult. You've already exhausted that poor man with the whole fainting incident, give the man a break._ So with that thought, I decided to just sit there quietly and let Charlie rest. A little hunger won't kill me.

Finally after what felt like forever, Charlie opened his eyes, sat up facing me, and asked me the most relieving and exciting question ever. _Food! _I tried to keep it cool and be polite as I replied him, but inside, I was bursting with excitement.

Charlie must have felt recharged after a micro snooze, because suddenly he bounced up from his recliner, and enthusiastically gestured for me to follow him. _Yay! This is going to be interesting._

Charlie gave me a tour of the house, showed me where everything was, and let me get settled in my new bedroom. It was a simple room. A double bed in one corner, a study desk and chair by the window, and a small wardrobe leaning against the wall next to the door. I can see Charlie had done some shopping. There was a whole pile of stuff sitting on the bed, all still in their packaging.

"I hope this room is okay, Bella. I haven't really had much time to freshen it up for you, I did give everything a good wipe though. I also bought you some new toiletries and bedding, I figured we could get whatever else you wanted when you got here." Charlie said shyly.

_Such a nice man. _I gave Charlie a big smile, and thanked him for his thoughtfulness. He told me he didn't find any luggage that belonged to me at the airport, and asked me if I remembered bringing anything with me apart from my backpack. I honestly told him that I don't remember. He just accepted my answer, and told me not to worry about it. _Thank god!_

— Diner —

The American diner experience has been quite interesting so far. I really liked the fact that this diner was open 24/7. It's so comforting to know a hearty meal can be eaten anytime my cravings arises. In Australia, you'd be lucky to have any western food joints (that wasn't Maccas or HJ) willing to take your food order after 8:30pm. Even Chinese restaurants close by 2am. Throughout my old life, I have travelled and lived in every major city of Australia, and I could honestly say, there are probably less than a handful of 24/7 cafes and restaurants that could even come close when compared to this well rounded, accessible diner. _I totally get why Charlie eats here all the time._

For my first in-house diner experience, I decided to try some hotcakes with hash browns and a creamy chicken soup, while Charlie ordered his usual_, _meaning a steak sandwich with an extra large side serving of onion rings, and black coffee. As we both wolfed down our food, we made small chitchats in between. I found myself feeling more and more at ease around Charlie. Food really was an excellent icebreaker. We talked about what he does as the Chief of police in Forks, how he spends his time while not working, and most importantly, what he expected from me, which as it turned out was, _nothing at all. _He explained to me that since I have no memories of anything before arriving in Forks, it would be the perfect opportunity to create a new life, and reinvent myself. _If only he knew how accurate he was of my situation. _

With our tummies full, we got in the car and drove towards Port Angeles. During the whole car ride there, Charlie listed off all the things I would need for my room, and for school, which he said he will enrol me into next Monday. _Man...I have to experience a second puberty, AND go through high school again...great..._

After over an hours drive, we finally arrived outside Walmart. Charlie said I could basically find everything I would need in there. I was thrilled! In my old life, one of my favourite pass times was strolling through supermarkets, major retail stores, and Costco. Walmart seemed to be a combination of all of them. _Perfect!_

Charlie being the generous father he is, placed a stack of cash in my hand. He told me that he had missed so many birthdays and Christmases with me, so it would bring him so much joy if he could watch me (just this once), go crazy and buy everything I ever wanted. He also told me he had been putting aside money for me since the day I was born, so if I needed more, it wouldn't be a problem. Initially, I was at a loss of words, and felt uneasy with his request, knowing I wasn't really his daughter, but I just couldn't deny him. He sounded so guilty for missing out on Bella's life, and looked genuinely determined to make amends. _Maybe I can buy stuff that will benefit us both._

Our first stop was clothing. Not wanting Charlie to feel awkward, I suggested he go over to the electronics, or outdoor gears department instead, and I would go find him once I was done. He quickly agreed and walked off.

Standing there in front of the dressing room mirror, It was truely the first time I got to take a good look at myself since becoming Bella Swan. She was athletic built, leggy, and definitely not a "_plus size" _like me. I noticed a few faint scars on her hairline and upper left arm, but apart from that, her skin was smooth and fair. She has beautiful hazel green eyes, shapely pink lips, and very well definitely muscles. Damn..._Never in a million years would I have imagined looking like this_. _I'm now a gorgeous 15 year old Caucasian girl, with the soul of a 30 year old Aussie Chinese. Ha! Weirdest combination ever. _

Strolling through the clothing isles, I thought about what I should choose. Bella had a well toned body. I bet she could wear anything here and not have to worry about her love handles showing. _Well, I am her now, might as well have fun with it! _Not really understanding the sizing here, I got one of the staff to help me. Usually I would rather die than seek assistance in a clothing store, but since this new body of mine was no longer my old one, I felt a lot less self aware. After getting my size right, I started filling my trolley with a range of undies, bras, socks, shoes, and a mix and match of clothings I could wear both at home and school. I even bought a few sets PJs, onesies, and a very cozy black hooded leather jacket that I believe would be suitable to wear anywhere. Happy with what I had chosen, I quickly went off to find Charlie.

Charlie looked like he was enjoying himself. I found him in the outdoors department pushing around a trolley filled with what looked like fishing and camping gears.

"Hey, Dad. Having fun?" I asked as I got closer to him.

"Hi Bella, I see you've found some clothes you like. I got you your own set of fishing and camping gears, I hope that's okay with you. I was hoping you would join me on my next fishing trip." Charlie replied while looking at me with a slightly nervous smile.

"That's very nice of you, dad. Sure I'll join you on your next fishing trip, it sounds like fun." I said with an excited grin. I've never gone on a fishing trip before, so I really am looking forward to experiencing it.

Our next stop was the grocery department. There were so many choices of food and brands I've never even heard of. I asked Charlie what he usually cooked at home, and he mumbled that he can't cook, so he always ordered takeaway or ate outside. He asked me if I liked cooking, and I told him I had a feeling I did. _I totally did in my old life. _Charlie's face lit up upon learning this new fact about me, so he suggested we go buy some recipe books, dining ware, cooking utensils, and a few kitchen appliances after buying groceries.

We filled the trolly with all sorts of pantry fillers, snacks, dry ingredients, and personal care items. He looked both amused, and confused when I started stocking up on various Asian foods and condiments.

"You like Asian food, Bella? That's a lot of rice, noodles, and sauces you got there. Are you sure you know how to use them?" Charlie asked in a humorous tone.

"I have a feeling I do. Maybe I was Chinese in my past life. Do you like eating Asian cuisines? We could look up some recipes you might like." I cheekily replied Charlie.

Charlie let out a genuine laugh, and told me he does enjoy Asian food. Turns out he eats Chinese cuisine at least two or three times a month, and particularly loves eating pot stickers. I smiled at him, and promised I would learn to make them for him.

Next, we chose some basic dining ware, cooking utensils, and food storage containers. Me and Charlie split up in the appliance section. While he picked up a toaster oven, a blender, and some more pots and pans, I picked up a hand mixer, a slow cooker, and most importantly, a rice cooker. _What? I am still Chinese at heart, and every Chinese needs a rice cooker at home. _When we showed each other what we chose, we both laughed out loudly, drawing the attention of the people nearby. As to why we were laughing, I don't really know. _But It's been so long since I laughed this heartily. Thank you so much Charlie._

On the way to check out, I also collected some school supplies, more snacks, and really cozy looking body pillow. Satisfied with all of our purchases, we jam packed everything into Charlie's station wagon, and headed _home _to Forks.

The drive back to Forks was beautiful. The setting sun casted a vivid contrast of warm colours on the mountains, making it glow like a roaring fire. It reminded me of the simpler days as a child living in Darwin. A time before I became _Her_ main target. I remember playing on the beach barefooted with my friends, and siblings, vibrant sky of exploding colours as our backdrop. I remember running up to buy all sorts of delicious food from the sunset market when we got hungry. I remember that feeling of love, and sense of warmth I got from all the food vendors whom I've become familiar with. _How I miss that love._

I silently watched the sceneries pass by as Charlie silently drove. Reflecting on the glimpse of happy times in my childhood, and all that has happened since waking up as Bella Swan, I became overwhelmed with a wave of gratefulness towards Charlie. He really made me feel like a carefree child again. When I jumped off the bridge, I was letting go of years of pain and torment. I thought maybe I would wake up in heaven, maybe in hell, but this, waking up as a fictional character in a fictional world, definitely not something I expected. Maybe this was a God given second chance. Maybe this was all just a dream, and I'm actually lying in a coma somewhere. Either way, I have decided I'm going to make the most of my time here. I will leave all my baggage behind, open myself up to trying new things, and make a difference where I can. _Especially knowing what was to come in this story for Bella._

"How are you feeling, Bella? Are you tired?" Charlie asked, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"No, I'm good. Just thinking. Also feeling a bit hungry. Why?" I asked curiously.

"Of course you're hungry again. I was just wondering if you were interested in going to one more place before heading home" Charlie asked with a chuckle.

"Depends. Does it involve food?" I asked cheekily.

"That is a definitely, Bella. The Forks community centre is hosting a charity fundraising event this evening, and as Fork's Chief of Police, I think I should at least drop by for a short while to show my support. What do you think. Do you feel up for it?" Charlie asked with a tone that said it was optional.

Usually when I hear the words "Fundraising event", my socially anxious self would scream "No way!", but this time was different. This time I was trying to be a new and improved _Me_. So with a quick determined dose of bravery, I agreed to go.

—

**AN**

**Next chapter, Bella meets the Cullens.**


	4. Meeting the Cullens

**Alice's POV**

We were on our way to Seattle for a day of major shopping, when I was suddenly hit with a vision. I could see Emmett snuggling up to Carlisle like a clingy toddler. _That's_ _strange. _Then I saw Rosalie who had a look of utter shock on her face. Frustrated that my vision ended there, I quickly told Jasper to pull over the car, and ran directly home.

As I was nearing the house, I could sense both Jasper and Edward running close behind me. With the sudden outbursts of yelling in the house, all three of us increased our speed, and rushed into the main entrance of the house. Rosalie looked at all of us with mortification and embarrassment, upon realising her outburst was witnessed by the whole family. She quickly recomposed herself, and marched into the kitchen. Never in the years I have known Rosalie, had I ever seen her express such raw emotions. Something major must have occurred.

"What happened, Carlisle? Why did I see Emmett cuddling up to you? What's with Rosalie? What were you guys talking about?" I asked, eager to find out the cause for all these odd behaviours.

Instead of answering my questions, Carlisle asked us to all take in a deep breath, and smell the scent on him. _Wow! _The refreshing scent of freshly picked passion fruits and guava surrounded every part of my body like a warm tropical breeze, making me suddenly feel very playful and high-spirited. _Now I get why Emmett got all giddy and cuddly with Carlisle. _

I looked around me, and noticed everyone in the room also seemed happy and smiley. _How interesting._

"So what did you smell? How are you all feeling?" Carlisle asked intrigued.

"The smell reminds me of the soothing winter balm my mother use to rub on me when I was sick as a child. I'm feeling the same sense of calmness and contentment I did back then." Jasper described.

"I can smell fresh pine forest and sandalwood. It's pleasant, and brings me back to the memories of my first beloved grand piano." Edward said thoughtfully.

I also shared what I smelt, and how I felt. Carlisle looked deep in thought for a moment, then elaborated on who this scent on him belonged to. He also told us about everything that had happened with him since meeting Bella at the hospital.

I was very intrigued now. How does one human girl have the power to ignite such strong personal reactions from a whole coven of vampires? _I can't wait to meet her._

**Rosalie's POV **

After that embarrassingly unexpected outburst of mine, I felt very exposed and vulnerable. Feeling quite bottomed out, I couldn't seem to muster up enough energy to build up my previous walls, so I walked into the kitchen to give myself some physical space away from prying eyes.

I could see Esme had laid out her mountains of baked good across the entire kitchen island. I couldn't help but smile while imagining all the happy children that will be stuffing their little faces with these sugary treats in no time. I picked up the packaging and started helping Esme wrap up the treats, trying to keep myself busy. I could hear the conversations still going on in the foyer, and couldn't believe just how powerful this Bella's scent seemed to be. _Why am I so affected by her? Why do I feel so protective of her already? Why can't I stop thinking about her? She's just another human nobody that will risk exposing us, right? We need to stay away from her. Ouch! My heart! What the fuck? Okay, fine...we will let it be. Sigh..._

"Rosie, dear? Do you want to talk about it?" Esme asked suddenly standing opposite to me, wrapping the treats as well.

"I'm okay for now, thanks. It's just a lot to digest at the moment." I replied softly.

"I understand. Why don't you join me and Carlisle tonight at the charity fundraiser. I'm sure the children there could help take your mind off whatever is bothering you." Esme suggested.

I thought about it, and agree it was a good idea, but just as I was about to answer Esme, Alice burst into the kitchen followed by all my siblings.

"We're coming too! Bella will be there with Chief Swan! It will be a very _interesting _night!" Alice squealed while jumping up and down like a hyperactive child.

Hearing what Alice just announced, I instantly wanted to change my mind about going. But before I could get a word in, my dumb fuck of a brother just had to open his stupid mouth...

"Hell yea! Shotgun on first hugs with my little hot waffle!" yelled Emmett.

_Over my dead body, you will! _I found myself screaming in my head. I marched over to Emmett and yanked him by his left ear.

"You listen to me, boy! You touch her in any way without _my _permission, or you scare her at all, I will rip off your favourite _toy, _and use it to smash up every gaming system you hold dearest to you. Understand?!" I growled out loudly.

I could feel Esme's hand lightly squeeze my shoulder, trying to tell me to calm down, but I just couldn't. The thought of anyone touching _My _Bella just made me so furious! I kept yanking and growling threats at Emmett until I felt he genuinely understood my message.

Once I let go of Emmett's ear, Alice giggled and clapped her hands enthusiastically. _What is she up to now?_

"Great! We will _all_ be going tonight then." Alice said with a sly smile.

_That sneaky clairvoyant bitch! You just wait..._

_._

_._

_._

_._

**Bella's POV **

After what felt like a very long nap in the car, I finally got shaken awake by Charlie. He smiled at me softly and announced that we have arrived. I got out of the car, did a few stretches to loosen out my muscle kinks, and followed Charlie towards what I assume was the community centre.

The place looked quite similar to the scouts hall I use to go to as a kid, except this place was bigger, and definitely much more well maintained. I could see a group of teenagers playing basketball on the court next to the building, and random kids running around everywhere. Once inside the building, Charlie walked us over to the main function hall where I could hear a lot of music and chatter.

The closer we got to the hall, the more I could feel dread and anxiety building up inside me.

Ever since I was young, I didn't do well with attending social events. My heart wanted to go make friends and be outgoing, but my brain made me extremely awkward and anxious. The moment we entered the hall, and all eyes turned to look at us, a sense of _something bad _started setting in. I was feeling light headed, and wanted to either vomit or pass out. Perhaps both. Charlie looked at me very concerned, seeing as my face was very flushed and my body was stiffening. He led me to sit down on a chair in a quiet corner, and told me to wait there of a moment. _Oh god! Oh god! He left me alone! Why is it so hot in here? Why is it so hard to breath?! I think I'm having a panic attack! Shit! Shit! Shit!_

In the midst of my hyperventilation, I vaguely felt someone kneel down next to me. I could feel a soothing cool hand rub circles around my back, and hear a calm gentle reassuring voice encouraging me to take in deep breaths. Finally, after what felt like forever, i felt myself ease up, and gain better awareness of my surroundings. _Mmm feels so nice._ Wanting to see who my comforter was, I finally opened my eyes, and looked up. _Holy shit..._

Locking eyes with me was a beautiful blond goddess. Her overwhelming beauty had me speechless, and unable to form a coherent sentence. She smiled at me, swiped some hair out of my face and said "Hi, I'm Rosalie."

_Oh. My. God..._

**Rosalie's POV **

I decided to drive my own car to the venue. I told my family I would meet them there as soon as I've hunted one more time. I needed to let out some steam if I was going to be stuck in a room full of humans for a whole night.

After feeling much more in control of myself, I finally got out of my car and reluctantly strolled into the community centre. I could see Esme fussing over some kids at the dessert table, my siblings stand to one side huddled away from the humans, and Carlisle talking to who I believe was Chief Swan. I could hear Chief Swan telling Carlisle about how Bella looked sick. I swiftly turned my head to where he was wildly gesturing to, and there in the quiet corner, I could finally see her. _Bella. MY Bella. MY MATE! Oh my God...Bella was MY MATE! _

Telling Carlisle I would go take care of Bella, I quickly rushed at a humanly possible pace over to where she was sitting. My heart hurt seeing Bella like this. I wanted to just scoop her up onto my lap, and kiss away all her pain and anxieties, but I knew I shouldn't. Well _not yet anyway_. So instead, I opted to kneel by her side, talk to her, and rub what I was hoping were soothing circles on her back. Once her panic attack subsided, she seemed to realise I was next to her. That adorable look she gave me when we locked eyes, oh how I wanted to smother her face in kisses. _Don't lose control. _I told myself. _Don't scare her off. _

Not being able to deny myself of at least some form of affection towards Bella, I reached my hand out, brush some hair out of her lovely face, and said "Hi, I'm Rosalie."

She was so precious! One simple greeting from me, and my poor Bella was all flustered again. At least this time it was out of shyness, not anxiety. For a few moments, she just stared at me with a face of a million thoughts, then as if snapping out of some sort of trance, she finally replied in a timid voice "Hi, I'm Bella."

Wanting to make my mate feel more comfortable around me, I stood up and invited her to come get some food and drinks with me. I wanted to laugh at how quickly her face lit up at the mention of food. It was like she became a whole different person from the shy timid girl sitting there just moments ago. _Well I guess she's food motivated. _

I boldly grabbed Bella's hand, and walked with her over to where all the food was placed. I could see Esme still there, so I walked over to her with Bella in tow.

"Hi Mom, this beautiful girl here is Bella. Bella, this is my wonderful mom." I introduced.

"Well hello, Bella! I'm Esme. It's so nice to meet you." Esme greeted with her warm motherly smile.

"Hi Esme, it's nice to meet you too." Bella replied shyly. _My Bella has an Australian accent? How unexpected. _Her eyes then drifted off to all the food on the table, and I had a feeling I would be losing Bella's attention to the food very soon. I could see on Bella's face that she really wanted to try the food, but perhaps because of shyness, she refrained from doing anything about it. Instead, she looked around the hall as if trying to find something, or maybe someone.

Being the wonderfully observant mother that Esme is and forever will be, she took it upon herself to start piling up plates of food for Bella. She then placed them on a nearby table, and invited Bella over.

"Bella dear, come sit over here and eat. I want you to taste all these distinguished dishes, each made by the very best cooks of Forks. And make sure you get a second helping of my famous Mac and cheese." Esme said with a wink.

I tried not to show my disappointment when Bella squeezed my hand lightly, then let go. She made a beeline towards Esme, and her multiple plates of Fork's 'famous' dishes without looking back at me. _Stupid smelly food_.

"Being ditched for food. Ouch!" I heard Emmett comment teasingly from the other side of the room. As much as I wanted to go over and rain fire on his sorry ass, I really wanted to immediately follow Bella over to where she was now eating with Esme.

Before I made my way there though, I realised I better go introduce myself to Chief Swan first, to make a good impressions, and also to let him know Bella was feeling better. Taking one final longing look at my mate, who was currently being fussed over by Esme, I went in search for the Chief.

Chief Swan was standing by the ticket booth writing something, so I headed over to talk to him.

"Excuse me, Chief Swan, sorry to interrupt. My name is Rosalie Cullen, Carlisle Cullen's daughter. I just wanted to let you know, Bella is feeling much better now, and is currently eating over there by the food area with my mom." I informed him politely, pointing to their direction.

I could see the man was startled by my sudden presence, but quickly composed himself. He looked over to where I said Bella was, and his face became one of relief and amusement.

"Hello, Rosalie. I want to thank you for helping Bella just now. Your father reassured me that you would be the best person for the job, and I can see he was right. So thank you." Chief Swan sincerely replied.

"No need to thank me, Chief Swan. It was my pleasure to be able to help Bella. _My Bella. _She seems like a lovely girl. I'd really like to get to know her, and hopefully become good friends. _And lovers." _I charmingly told Chief Swan.

Chief Swan laughed awkwardly and said he would appreciate having someone like me befriend his daughter. After a bit of idol chitchat, I smiled at him politely, and excused myself. I was missing my mate already, and was desperate to be near her again. A few minutes away from her honestly felt like too long. Walking as quickly and gracefully as I could, I rushed back over to where my timid beauty sat, contently eating everything Esme pointed at. _How is she so adorable, even when stuffing her mouth full of disgusting human food._ From the looks of how Esme was fretting over Bella, I think Esme has just found herself a new baby _Swan. _

I took a seat next to Bella, and placed my hand on her lower back. She didn't seem to mind at all. _That's a good sign. _She looked up at me, mouth still full of food, and gave me the happiest closed mouth grin I've ever seen. _Well someone is happy to see me._

"Are you enjoying the food, dear?" I asked Bella affectionately.

"Mmhmm! All these food tastes amazing, but I think Esme's Mac and cheese is a clear winner." Bella shared zealously. _She must really love her food._

I could see Esme and Bella getting quite smitten with each other already. Bella seemed to have warmed up to Esme, and was becoming quite talkative with her. She allowed Esme to stroke her hair, and accepted random sample of dishes being offered to her. In normal circumstances, a vampire would probably become quite jealous and threatened by anyone who wasn't them interacting with their mate like that, but I wasn't. Somehow, my inner beast knew my mate needed Esme's maternal affections. It's quite the sight to see really, but in that moment, I wish it was me that was touching and feeding Bella like that. I wanted to get to know Bella. I wanted her to grow close to me too.

"So, Bella_, _I was thinking. Since you are new to Fork's, would you like to hang out with me this weekend? I could show you around, help you unpack your things, and maybe do something fun? What do you think?" I asked Bella nervously. I really hope I sound more confident to her than I'm feeling.

Bella thought for a moment, and suddenly leaned in giving me a very warm hug. "That sounds perfect, Rosalie. Thanks for being so nice to me. And thank you for helping me just now, you've made my time here feel so much better already."

I hugged her back eagerly, and was disappointed when she let me go. But seeing that excited smile on her face, and hearing her so willing to accept my invitation of spending more time together, I knew I had hope. I _will _get my warm hugs again. _Hopefully something else too. _

As she resumes her task of demolishing the plates of food, I couldn't help but lightly ran my thumb across one of her smooth cheeks, pretending to wipe a bit of crumb away for her. She didn't seem to mind, and gave me another sweet smile. As she moved on to start on her plates of desserts, I could hear Emmett's whiny voice talking to me from somewhere.

"Rosie~ Rosie Posie~ Could we come meet Waffles yet? You've already hogged her the whole night! It's not fair you let Esme play with her, but not me. Pleaseee!" Emmett begged.

Using a whispered growl I replied Emmett, "No one is 'playing' with her. Fine, you can all come meet her. Just give us another give 10 minutes. And Emmett, when you come over here, make sure you keep your stupid nicknames, AND hands to yourself. My previous threats still stand."

I sighed internally as I watched Bella inhale her desserts happily. She really was something special. Never in my entire existence would I have imagined finding the sight of a human girl chowing down her dessert..._cute_. Is this what all mated pairs feel? Would it be too selfish of me to want to keep Bella all to myself? With all the enthusiasm I'm getting from my family in regards to _My Bella, _I have a feeling my alone time with Bella will be far and few. Wanting to savour these few more moments of peace with just her, I picked up Bella's free hand, and just held it in mine.

"HI BELLA! HOW'S IT GOING? THE NAME'S EMMETT!" my idiot brother suddenly yelled while standing on the opposite end of our table.

Bella jumped in fright, and started coughing and wheezing. She must have choked on the brownies she was eating. If I wasn't so focused on making sure my mate didn't choke to death, I would have tried to kill Emmett right there. He scared the shit out of my poor Bella. And because of his juvenile antics, my mate was now suffering.

"EMMETT CULLEN, YOU MARCH YOURSELF OUT THAT DOOR, AND WAIT BY THE CAR FOR ME. I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU!" I could hear Esme angrily whisper yell. I could see a sulking Emmett being escorted out by Jasper and Edward.

With all the coughing, wheezing, and frantic actions of our family, we have attracted the attention of pretty much every single person at the venue. I don't blame them really. As Cullens, we are stared at anyway, throw in the mix of a new girl in town, AND a frantic chief of police running across the room with a bottle of water, well, it really was a sight to see.

**Bella's POV**

It has been 15 minutes since the whole Emmett induced choking episode. I have calmed down significantly, and was no long tearing up or wheezing. In the process of soothing my coughing fits, I had somehow ended up sitting on Rosalie's lap sideways. I was in heaven. Her arms were wrapped securely around my waist, and every now and then, I could feel her and Esme pat out any lingering coughs I made. Finally feeling much better, I started focusing more on my surroundings. To my surprise, I could see the table was now full of people. Esme, Carlisle, Charlie, and _Alice? _were all there waiting for me to fully recover it seemed. _Such a lovely bunch. _Realising all the eyes were on me, a familiar feeling of embarrassment, and self-consciousness sinked in. _Oh god, I've troubled everyone. I've made everyone stop what they were doing just to assist me. _I tried to wriggle off Rosalie's lap to stand up, but I couldn't. Rosalie had tightened her hold on me and turned my face to look at her.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" the beautiful goddess asked me in her sweet caring voice. _God, she needs to stop with her sweet and caring gestures. I could really fall hard for her, and that would not end well. Especially after seeing how buffed up her mate Emmett was. That guy didn't need to be a vampire to kill me. I am screwed. _With that train of thought, I quickly stood up from her lap and tried to put some distance between us.

"I..I'm feeling fine now, Rosalie. Thank you so much for all your help. I really appreciate it. Sorry to have taken up so much of your time. I'm okay now. And thank you Dr Cullen and Esme, your help was also appreciated." I nervously rambled out while trying not to linger my eyes on anyone particular.

Rosalie quickly got up off her chair to stand in front of me, firmly placing her hands on my shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong, Bella? Where are you going?" a seemingly confused Rosalie asked.

I avoided eye contact with her trying to come up with some lame excuse to escape this uncomfortable situation, but my mind was blank. _Come on, Ella! Think! You need to RUN! RUN!_

"N..nothing is wrong. I just thought maybe you would prefer to spend some time with your own friends and family, m..maybe your boyfriend? You don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay on my own now. I'm sure my dad will be ready to go home soon anyway." I stuttered out lamely to Rosalie.

I could see Rosalie's mouth moving and her hand cupping me face, but in that moment, all I could hear was my heart pounding hard over the deafening silence in my mind. _What was happening? Why am I on extreme flight mode again? Was it the fear of me angering that beefcake vampire? Was it the worry of developing a hopeless crush on a straight goddess? Maybe it's the dread of becoming a burden or pity case again? _

Ultimately, I believe it was my defence mechanism working on hyper drive mode again. It remembered the old me. The me that needed to guard her already fragile, beat up, old heart...


	5. Good Morning, Sunshine!

**Rosalie POV**

Rosalie didn't know what she did wrong. Just moments ago, Bella was smiling warmly at her as she held her hand. She was even leaning into her embrace as she sat on her lap. So why was she suddenly trying to pull away now? She really thought they were making progress. The way Bella stood up obviously trying to distance herself away from her made her heart hurt, but it was nothing compared to the gut wrenching pain she felt when Bella refused to look at her after basically telling them not to waste their time on someone as menial as herself. _How could she think so lowly of herself? _Rosalie thought. _Doesn't she know how important she was to me already? Had we not shown her tonight just how much we enjoyed having her around? How much I loved having her around? No. I will not let Bella slip away from me. She is MINE! And I will do everything within my powers to make sure she understands that. _Rosalie promised herself resolutely.

Not knowing how else to shake Bella out of her internalised panic, Rosalie cupped Bella's face with one hand, and pinched her hip hard with the other.

"OWW! What the hell! Did you just pinch me?" A shocked Bella yelped.

"I'm so sorry, sweet girl. I didn't do it to hurt you. You looked like you were going to have another panic attack, so I was trying to find the quickest way to shake you out of it." Rosalie replied apologetically while rubbing soothing circles on Bella's hip where she had pinched her.

Looking embarrassed, Bella blushed and gave out a heavy sigh. Rosalie could tell a lot was still bothering Bella, but she wanted her focussed in the presence so she circled her arms around the brunette's waist, and pulled her in for a very tight hug.

"Bella, stop thinking so much. I want you right here with me, okay? I'm really not sure why you would think I'd want to be anywhere else right now. Can't you see I really enjoyed your company tonight? Did you really think I would have offered to spend my weekend with you if I didn't? And FYI, I'm single. So there's no boyfriend, or girlfriend I need to spent time with." Rosalie whispered in Bella's ear as she continued to hold her close to her.

"Oh." Bella uttered, blushing hard, looking unsure how to respond.

Trying to help her precious Bella move on from her obvious social discomfort, Rosalie released her from her embrace, and gave the end of her hair a playful tug. The random hair tug surprised Bella, just as she had hoped, resulting in the timid girl giving the blond goddess a perplexed smile, which she returned with a slightly flirtatious wink. Finding this the perfect timing, Rosalie locked eyes with Bella, and took hold of one of Bella's hands again, giving it a light squeeze.

"Well, this looks intense." the annoying voice of Rosalie's idiot brother stated, interrupting their moment. _Bloody Emmett! _Rosalie thought as she snapped her head fiercely to where Emmett was now standing, giving him the deadliest glare she could muster. She was seething. _The audacity of that dipshit, how dare he come back in here after that stunt he pulled. That's it! When I get home, I am going to smash up every prized possession he owns, including the one in his pants! _Rosalie thought to herself_. _

"Emmett Cullen! What are you doing back in here? I've specifically told you to wait outside for me." Esme states sternly, obviously trying to defuse the situation.

Emmett grinned mischievously at Esme. "I was waiting for you outside, but I got bored. Plus, I wanted to make sure our choker makes full recovery so she could fully appreciate the experience of receiving an epic apology from the world's most handsome hunk." Emmett said as he flexed his pecks at us.

Rosalie could hear all her siblings grumble under their breaths, getting just as sick of Emmett's childish shit as she was. What surprised her though was the sound of Bella laughing. Still holding on to Rosalie's hand, and now also hugging her arm, she could see Bella had loosened up while watching Emmett flex his muscles in various Mr Universe poses. Apparently she finds Emmett's juvenile antics comical. Feeling slightly defeated with how to deal with Emmett, Rosalie decided to let it go for now and just focus on making Bella feel secure and wanted.

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**Charlie's POV **

Charlie fell into bed extremely exhausted. Between the life changing news break from Renee, Bella's trip to the hospital, and her panic attacks tonight, Charlie felt like he had gotten years shaved off his life.

With how much progress he had made with Bella during breakfast, and from their big shopping trip to Walmart, he hadn't imagined what could possibly go wrong by making a brief detour to drop by the fundraiser with Bella.

It killed Charlie to see how Bella withdrew into herself as she went through her many waves of emotional turmoil in the middle of a crowd. He felt like such a failure as her father, not having the slightest clue on how to help. He didn't even know what was triggering Bella's emotions. That is why he was so thankful to see Dr Cullen at the event, and even more relieved that he had listened to Dr Cullen's advice on letting his daughter Rosalie take care of Bella.

Charlie has seen Rosalie around town before, and the impression he always got from her was that she was polite, but very cold and guarded. So it greatly surprised him to see how warm and tender Rosalie was with Bella. It's like she was a whole different person with Bella, and Bella in return seemed to respond positively to her presence as well. Not wanting to intrude on what seemed like very personal and vulnerable moments for Bella, Charlie left them be for most of the night, only occasionally scanning the hall to keep tabs on her whereabouts.

It impressed Charlie that Rosalie took the initiative to come introduce herself, and reassure him of Bella's wellbeing. It also greatly pleased him to hear of her intentions to befriend Bella.

Charlie still laughed now as he thought back to how dramatic he must have looked, running across the hall towards a choking Bella with a bottle of water. Throughout the rest of the night, Charlie also found himself, and probably majority of the people at the fundraiser, perplexed with the sight of Bella being entertained and coddled by the whole Cullen family who were well known in Forks as the exclusively tight knit rich family with inhumanly good looks.

Looking at the clock, Charlie noticed it was nearing midnight, so he went downstairs to secure the house, then headed back up to Bella's room to make sure she had everything she needed before bed. Charlie noticed the lights still on in Bella's room, but couldn't hear any response when he knocked on her door, so he opened it anyway to make sure she was okay. There on the bed, Charlie was met with the sight of Bella sprawled out on top of a pile of her shopping goods, sleeping like a rock. Shaking his head in amusement, Charlie gently removed one of Bella's legs from the new quilt he bought, took it out of its packaging, and laid it on top of her. To prevent Bella from waking up with a sore neck, Charlie also gently adjust the position of Bella's head which was laid on top of her pile of new clothes. It's amazing that even with all the movements and noise in the room, Bella still slept soundly. After turning off all the lights and closing Bella's door again, Charlie headed back to his own room for some long over due sleep.

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**The Next Day**

_Knock* Knock* Knock*_

Charlie was slowly pulled out of his slumber by the sound of someone knocking on his front door. He checked the clock and noticed it was already 11 am in the morning. Surprised by how much he slept in, he quickly got out of bed to make himself look more decent before answering the door. On his way downstairs, Charlie checked in on Bella to see if she was awake. It appears Bella was still in deep sleep, so Charlie let her be and went to greet whoever was at the front door.

**Bella's POV**

_Mmm..that feels so nice_, Bella thought, as she was slowly pulled out of her sleep by a gentle hand stroking through her hair. Still in her half sleep state, Bella kept her eyes closed and nuzzled closer to the source of comfort. She could hear an angelic chuckle coming from somewhere, but was far too comfortable to care.

"Good morning, pretty girl. It's time to wake up." A feminine voice said softly, while continuing her gentle strokes to Bella's hair.

As Bella gradually came out of her sleep, forgetting where she was. She started internally freaking out thinking she was a child again, and somehow her _mother_ had broken into her locked room, and was touching her.

In her state of panic, Bella started flailing her arms, and tried to move as far away from the touch as she could. She kept scooting away until she hit a wall at the other end of her bed.

"Bella! Hey! You're okay! It's me, Rosalie! You're safe. It's just me." Rosalie whisper shouted, trying to gain Bella's attention without alerting Chief Swan. She crawled over to where Bella was huddled, and gathered her up into her arms, resuming her soothing strokes to Bella's hair.

Upon hearing Rosalie's voice and feeling her comforting embrace, Bella opened her eyes wide and surveyed her surroundings, giving out a sigh of relief. _Right, I'm in a new life now. No more...Mother._

"H..Hi Rosalie, sorry for freaking out on you, I..forgot where I was for a second. What are you doing here?" Bella asked timidly while unconsciously leaning into Rosalie's embrace.

"Oh honey, sorry I scared you. Your father let me in. He thought you would be more comfortable with me waking you up instead of him. Did you forget our plans for today?" Rosalie replied in a comforting tone, while still holding Bella close and playing with her hair.

"Oh yea, that's right." Bella replied meekly.

Bella was really enjoying the level of affection Rosalie was giving her. It has been so many years since she had experienced such unguarded, untainted physical comfort. In her old life, Bella had time after time been taught that words of love, and touches of affection always came with ulterior motives. Usually bad ones that left lingering mental and physical scars. So over the years, she had learnt to harden her heart, and closed herself off from any form of love. Even blinding herself from seeing love.

Now was different though. Bella knew from the books that Rosalie was kind at heart, that Charlie, the other Cullens, and their extended family had no ill intents towards her. Last night proved her right. Even Edward Cullen seemed to be calm, and not at all obsessive towards her.

After a few more minutes of just being held, Bella felt totally relaxed and unguarded again. Still feeling the heaviness of sleep in her eyes, Bella fisted up her hands and rubbed her eyes roughly to get rid of it. She felt Rosalie gently halt her movements and moved her hands away from her eyes.

"Sweetie, don't rub your eyes like that." Rosalie chastised gently, looking at Bella with what looked like _endearment_?

"Okay." Bella replied meekly, not use to someone speaking or looking at her with such _affection_? _Is this what having real friends is like? Is this how genuine care is suppose to feel? Wow, I've really been missing out. _In that moment, Bella again reaffirmed to herself that she will leave behind all the bad memories and bitterness of a heavily guarded Ella, and embrace any and every form of love and care given to her as Bella.

Giving herself a few more moments to enjoy being lovingly embraced, Bella gave Rosalie a quick nuzzle to her shoulder, then crawled off her bed. She noticed that she had basically slept on top of all the new clothes she bought yesterday. Digging though the flattened pile, she grabbed a top, a pair of jeggings, underwear and bra.

"Rosalie, do you mind if I go take a quick shower? I don't think I've had a shower since I arrived in Forks." Bella embarrassingly told Rosalie.

"Sure, you go ahead. Want me to start helping you sort that pile of shopping you used as your mattress last night? I am after all here to help you settle in." Rosalie replied with a lighthearted laugh.

As Ella, it was almost instinctual to decline help with fear of burdening others, but now that she was Bella, she just smiled and nodded enthusiastically at the generous offer, and quickly headed off to the bathroom.

**Rosalie's POV**

Rosalie stood there for a moment looking over at the doorway where Bella has just exited. Her mind was reeling with all sorts of thoughts and emotions that Bella had ignited in her.

When she turned up at Bella's doorsteps this morning, Chief Swan welcomed her in, and suggested to have her to be the one to wake Bella up. He was such a thoughtful man, worrying about Bella's reaction to being woken up by a man she wasn't too familiar with. Rosalie didn't have to be told twice. She quickly glided up the stairs to her beloved Bella's bedroom, and slipped inside soundlessly. The sight of a sleeping Bella made Rosalie's non-beating heart explode with love and affection. With the long night of agonising separation from her mate, Rosalie didn't waste time with closing the distance to her mate, and settled herself next to her sleeping Bella. With half her face squished against a pile of clothes, Bella had the most adorable pink tinted cheeks and pouty lips. Rosalie couldn't resist brushing Bella's hair back away from her beautiful face, and mapping out her childlike sleeping face with her finger. The way she lightly scrunched up her face from the ticklish touch of Rosalie's finger, and the way she leaned into the hand she used to stroke Bella's hair, really had Rosalie's control slipping. She just wanted to grab Bella close to her, kiss her all over, and mark her in every way possible.

Bella seem to react quite positively to her affections in general, so it really concerned her when Bella suddenly jolted backwards looking in a state of panic when she was coming out of sleep. With how many panic attacks Bella had already experienced since meeting her, each panic episode seemingly with an unrelated trigger,Rosalie was hoping to God her conclusions of Bella suffering from PTSD was wrong.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Rosalie decided not to dwell on the 'what ifs' and focus on making Bella's life better from now onwards. Surveying the room, Rosalie decided to start by sorting out Bella's shopping into different categories. She could hear that Bella had turned off the shower, so she used her vampire speed to quickly get the first part sorted.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Rosalie. Wow, good job with the sorting. I'm loving how your mind works." Bella said as she came into the room dressed and looking refreshed.

"Not a problem. I find it quite therapeutic sorting and categorising things." Rosalie replied cheerfully.

"Me too! I'm so glad we met last night, even though I kind of embarrassed myself quite a few times." Bella said shyly.

Not being able to stand seeing Bella being so insecure, she walked over to Bella and pulled her into a hug.

"Don't worry about last night, I'm glad I met you too. Just so you know, it's okay to have moments of weakness, I feel honoured that you had trusted me to be there for you in those moments. Anytime in the future, you can count on me to be there for you okay?" Rosalie strongly emphasised while holding Bella's face between her hands, looking deep into her eyes. Bella blushed and nodded, giving Rosalie a tight hug in response.

"Thanks Rosalie, that means a lot to me." Bella whispered.

Rosalie internally smiled at the moment they were having, enjoying the warmth Bella gave off, and the heavenly aroma she could smell being so close to her neck. They lingered in the hug just a bit longer than socially acceptable between friends, but Bella didn't seem to mind.

A sudden loud gurgling noise from Bella's tummy broke their embrace. Rosalie gave out a loud laugh, and Bella covered her face looking absolutely embarrassed.

"Oh sweetie, don't be embarrassed. Come on, I bought you guys breakfast. Charlie's probably already finished his." Rosalie told Bella humorously while grabbing her hand and dragging her down to the kitchen with her.

"Aw, thanks for getting us food. What did you get?" Bella asked curiously as she followed Rosalie towards where the food was.

"You'll just have to wait and find out." Rosalie replied with a wink.

Turns out Rosalie had bought an assortment of sweet and savoury pastries, a fruit smoothie, and some hotcakes.

"Oh my god! These look amazing! You're the best, Rosie!" Bella shouted excitedly while turning to give Rosalie a tight hug. She then sat herself in front of all the food on the breakfast bar, and began digging in. Rosalie took a bar stool and sat opposite to Bella, enjoying the view of her sweet girl gleefully tasting everything she had bought. _I could get use to this_. Rosalie thought.


	6. Too Much Feels

**Bella's POV **

I am currently sitting on Rosalie's lap eating up the feast that's been placed here for me on this beautiful marble bench top. As I happily indulged in all the home cooking that Esme expertly crafted for me, I reflected on how exactly I ended up here in this position.

_-Earlier today-_

After eating a very satisfying brunch provided by Rosalie, we ended up spending the rest of the day sorting out all the shopping goods me and Charlie bought yesterday. The kitchen was now fully equipped, and my bedroom was starting to look more homely. Rosalie noticed that my pantry was now well stocked, but the fridge was practically empty. Given how much I eat, she suggested we go for a grocery trip to Fork's local supermarket after eating dinner somewhere. I told Charlie our plans, and invited him to join us, but Charlie told us that a few of his good friends had ordered me some welcome home gifts online, so he will just order pizza later while he waits for the deliveries. Surprised by this news, and not really knowing how to respond to such generosity from strangers, I told Charlie to please relay my appreciation to his friends, and my promise to thank them in person when the chance arises.

As we were getting ready to head out, I noticed Rosalie had placed all my newly purchased clothes, towels, and bedding in a large suitcase.

"Hey, Rosalie, where are you taking all my clothes and bedding?" I asked.

"They need to be washed before you use them, so I'm taking it all with us. I have a large tumble dryer at my house, so we can wash and dry them while we're having dinner and doing grocery shopping." Rosalie explained.

"That sounds like a great idea, but are you sure your family won't mind?" I asked slightly uneasy with the thought of imposing on the Cullen family.

"Of course not! I've already texted Esme earlier on. I bet Alice would just love to sort through all your new purchases, and Esme will be thrilled to see you again when we drop by." Rosalie reassured me.

"Thanks. I look forward to seeing them again too." I replied with a shy smile.

After loading the suitcase into Rosalie's very fancy looking red SUV, we bid Charlie goodbye and headed towards Rosalie's home. The drive was very thrilling. Rosalie drove like a pro, zooming confidently through a long majestically vivid scenic route all the way to her house.

From what I remember in the book, I knew their house was going to be located in the middle of nowhere, but I can't recall whether it mentioned just how beautiful the view surrounding their house was. There were gigantic ancient trees standing strong all throughout the forest. When Rosalie rolled the car to a stop in front of their large modern double story house, I got out of the car and immediately ran over to where I could see a very very tall and wide western hemlock tree. It was so beautiful! I put my arms around it, hugging myself against its trunk, and inhaled the refreshing forest scent deeply. There was always something so serene and soothing about being near such ancient trees. As I closed my eyes just enjoying the moment with the tree, I could hear a few voices in the distance laughing and giggling.

"What are you doing Bella?" Rosalie asked with a humorous laugh, as she stood next to me, brushing some hair out of my face.

"Just soaking in the beauty that is this ancient tree. It's like hugging centuries of life." I replied with a megawatt smile still hugging onto the tree.

"Well in that case, you should be hugging Rosalie instead." I could hear Emmett jokingly mumble. A loud thunder like sound echoed somewhere, and I assumed it was the sound of a vampire getting smacked. Since I'm trying to stay oblivious, I kept my eyes closed and pretended I didn't hear anything. What he said was quite funny though, so I bit my lips and just mentally chuckled.

After a few more moments of just soaking up the essence of the tree, I finally let go and turned my focus back to the three vampires that had gathered outside the house.

"Hello everyone, nice to see you again. You are so lucky to live so close to these amazing trees. Do you ever hug them? It's so therapeutic!" I greeted excitedly.

"You're so strange, but I like you! Let me go try!" Emmett said while running over to where I was standing. He too stretched his arms out and gave the tree a hug. I watched him with amusement. How did I ever think this guy was threatening. He was nothing but a giant marshmallow. Kind of like Baymax. I laughed at his antics then turned my attention back to where Alice and Jasper were standing.

"So, what are you guys up to? Were you all headed out somewhere?" I asked.

"No, we saw you two pull up, so just thought we'd come out to greet you." Alice said cheerfully while slightly bouncing on her tippy toes.

"That's so thoughtful. Thanks for making me feel welcomed." I told them appreciatively.

"It is our pleasure, Bella." Jasper said politely while giving me a gentlemen's bow.

I chuckled at his gesture and walked with them towards the house.

"So, is Esme home too?" I asked. I really like Esme. She feels like the mother I've always wished for but never had. The way she fed me and fussed over me last night made me feel very well loved. It surprised me just how comfortable I was with the affections she freely gave me. Normally I shy away from people's touch, but since arriving here in Twilight world, I don't seem to have any PTSD symptoms related to physical contact anymore. Well except for this morning.

"She's gone out to do some grocery shopping. Ever since Rosalie's texts earlier today about your plans of dropping by, Esme has been cooking up a storm in the kitchen. I think she wants you to be her guinea pig. There's a tonne of different dishes in there waiting for you." Jasper told me while trying to hide the grimace on his face.

"Oh how nice of her, good thing I'm starving right now. I can't wait to eat whatever it is she's cooked up!" I said excitedly, suddenly becoming more aware of the hunger pangs building in my stomach.

"Well then, lets go!" Emmett yelled, suddenly lifting me off the ground and running towards the house with me hanging upside down over his shoulder. I screamed bloody murder all the way inside, both out of fear and surprise. Emmett shook me left and right a bit as he ran, even pretending to drop me head first at one point. Finally when we reached the kitchen, he put me back down on my slightly wobbly legs. God, my heart was racing rapidly, and my throat was burning from the unexpected screaming. Holy shit. What a way to travel.

"Bella, are you okay?!" Rosalie asked with a look of panic. She frantically looked me over and ran her hands all over my face and body checking for injuries. Still trying to catch my breath from all that screaming and heightened adrenaline, I just nodded while panting slightly. Rosalie sighed in relief and pulled me into a tight protective embrace.

"What the fuck, Emmett?! You could have seriously hurt her! What were you thinking?!" Rosalie scolded furiously while still holding me securely in her arms. I get that his actions could have been dangerous if he were human, but did poor Emmett really deserve such a fierce scolding? He was just playing around.

"It's okay, Rosie. I didn't get hurt. It was kind of fun actually." I said trying to defuse Rosalie's anger.

"Fun? Fun?! Baby, you could have been seriously injured! What would have happened if you got hurt? I can't lose you!" Rosalie yelled while pulling me impossibly closer to her slightly shaking body. Did she just call me Baby? Why is she reacting so emotionally to some little harmless fun?

"Hey, Shh...what's got you so worked up, Rosie? I'm totally fine. Emmett was just playing around." I said while pulling back from Rosalie's tight embrace, so I could look at her face. She tried to tug me back into her body, but I placed my hands on her shoulders to prevent her from doing so. It's not that I don't enjoy her physical affections, but I wanted to know what's got her so worked up, and having her face buried into my shoulder will get us nowhere in our conversation.

Rosalie had a look of hurt on her face as I kept her at arms length. I seriously had no clue on what was going on. She's a vampire, so this can't be a case of PMS right? I thought back to how she comforted me last night without even knowing what was going on in my head and thought maybe that could be something I can try to make her feel better too. So I cupped one of my hands to the side of her face stroking my thumb along her cheek and brushed my other hand through her hair repeatedly.

"Come on Rosie, everything is okay. I'm sorry if something is upsetting you. Please tell me how I can make you feel better. I'm kinda lost here." I said in what I hope was a comforting tone. Rosalie closed her eyes and leaned into my touch, so I assumed whatever I was doing was working. I felt Rosalie circle her arms around my waist, and pulled me into her again. This time I let her do whatever she wanted. She nuzzled into my neck for a moment causing me to involuntarily shiver with delight. _You're not suppose to be enjoying this you perv. She is a friend you are trying to comfort, so keep your head clean. _I mentally scolded myself. I felt Rosalie inhale a deep breath, then whispered into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry for confusing you, Bella. I know I've over reacted. It's just...you are so important to me, and seeing how Emmett had put you at risk of harm and distress twice already just got me so mad. The thought of anything bad happening to you just kills me. " Rosalie explained sadly.

Now I'm even more confused. We've only just met last night, how important could I possibly be to her? Being a lone wolf most of my life, I'm no expert on the subject of friendship, but don't people usually need more than 24 hours to build up such an intense level of care? Surely Emmett would be way more important to her. I mean, they're mates right? God, I'm so confused, and my hunger pangs are definitely not helping me think clearly.

"Rosalie, no offence, but how important can I be to you? I mean we definitely became fast friends and I really enjoyed spending time with you, but we only just met last night." I stated.

Rosalie let go of me and took a few steps back. She looked absolutely hurt and offended by what I just said. _G__ood job, Ella. Your emotionally stunted self has just hurt the most beautiful angel who has shown you nothing but true kindness and care. You should be ashamed._

As I stood there mentally chastising myself, I heard a loud gasp. It was from Alice. I looked over at her wondering what has her looking so shocked, but she just looked away quickly and wondered off somewhere with Jasper. Vampires are weird.

I turned back to focus on Rosalie and saw her hugging herself solemnly. Now I really felt like a jerk. I've really hurt this beautiful blond. I was just about to apologise to her when she spoke up.

"I know the depth of my care seems too much for someone you've just met, but there is a reason for it. I don't know how to explain it to you right now, but can you please just accept me and not question it? I really like being with you, and I'm hoping I'm not scaring you off." Rosalie said brokenly. Her voice almost sounded cracked. I hate that I was the cause of this wounded version of her. It hurts my heart. I've got to fix this fast, so I walked up to Rosalie and took her hands in mine.

"Rosie, you are my most favourite person in this world. I totally have no problem being deeply cared for by you. I love your TLCs. I just didn't want to be the reason your relationship with Emmett becomes strained." I told her honestly. Rosalie smiled widely as I told her my feelings, but then her face morphed into one of confusion.

"What did you mean by you becoming a strain on my relationship with Emmett?" Rosalie asked with a deep frown..

"What do you mean, what do I mean? I thought Mates came before all else?" I said without thinking. Oh FUCK..My hunger has finally gotten to my head. I hope she thinks I'm talking about Aussie friend "mates".

Looking at the way Rosalie's eyes widened, and the way her body froze, I'm thinking I'm screwed.

"MATES?! We're not Mates! How do you even know about Mates?" Rosalie shouted in a state of panic.

"I..I just meant...like Aussie mates, you know..n..not anything else. I mean, what else could I mean right?" I tried back-pedalling. _Please be convinced._ I really don't want to have to explain how I knew about their vampire secret.

"YOU KNEW WE WERE VAMPIRES?! HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS?" Edward yelled, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and getting right into my personal space with a look of fury?

"Uh...I..I..yes I've always known. I...I won't tell anyone, I promise." I stuttered out fearfully.

Edward looked like he was just about ready to kill me with how he slowly inched towards me like a predator closing in on its prey. _Oh god, he can hear my thoughts._ His eyes were pitch black. This can't be good.

With how emotionally charged the room was and in my serious state of fear and hunger, I could feel a panic attack kicking in. I shut my eyes trying to take in deep breaths as my heartbeat was skyrocketing and the room started to spin. Before I fully lost myself, I suddenly felt Rosalie jerk me towards her body tucking me to her side protectively and watched with wide eyes as Edward went flying backwards into the wall furthest from us.

"Don't you dare hurt My Bella, Edward. I don't care what the situation is. You ever make her this scared again, and I will rip you apart burning all the piece!" Rosalie growled out defensively, tightening her grip on me. I was so scared in that moment that I buried my face into Rosalie's neck and just sobbed pitifully.

"Shh..baby, you're safe now. No one's going to hurt you." Rosalie whispered soothingly into my hair as she securely wrapped her arms around my head and body. With how protected I felt, I burrowed deeper into Rosalie's neck and cried harder. I could vaguely hear Emmett and Jasper yelling at Edward in the distance but I was too caught up in my feelings to focus.

"What is going on here! Who made Bella cry?" An angry sounding Esme asked as she entered the kitchen with a handfuls of grocery. Seeing my distress, she swiftly walked over to me to rub circles on my back.

I lifted my head to look at Esme, trying to form words, but all that came out was stuttering hiccups. I just couldn't seem to stop crying. I'm wrecked with fear, guilt, and anxiety, so all I ended up doing was burying my face back into Rosalie's shoulder while another wave of fresh tears overflowed from my eyes.

"Oh, sweetie. Don't cry. What happened? Tell me, and I will help you handle it." Esme cooed in her motherly voice. I felt her gentle hand brush tear soaked hair out of my face, cupping my puffy red cheek, and directing my face to look up at her.

"She bloody knew we were vampires! I heard her say it in her thoughts! She purposely tried to hide it. You all know how effective her scent is in making us let our guards down. Who knows what else this human is capable of!" Edward accusingly yelled while still being restrained by Jasper and Emmett.

Both Rosalie and Esme snapped their heads up and gave Edward a disapproving glare.

"I understand why you are so concerned, Edward, but it is absolutely unacceptable for you to attack Bella or make her feel so threatened. I trust that Bella means us no harm, and I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason for keeping her knowledge of us a secret." Esme stated as calmly as she could. She gave me a look that said she expects me to explain myself later. I shyly nodded in acknowledgement then neastled my face back into Rosalie shoulder.

"This is bullshit! Like we can trust this human! She can block our gifts! If it wasn't for that moment where her mental shield was down, we would probably still be in the dark. And who knows what the consequences of that could be for us!" Edward spat out angrily.

"Just shut up already, Edward. I can assure you that Bella has no ill intentions. I saw a vision of Bella just now. She has a perfectly good reason for keeping her knowledge of us secret. I wanted to let her choose when she was ready to tell us, but you ruined it. See for yourself." Alice chastised Edward. I watched as Edward stood there silently staring at Alice. His face morphed from anger to shock, then to one of annoyance, and finally settled with looking somewhat defeated. I'm not sure what he saw, but whatever it was, Edward did not look happy. Without another word, he ran out of the house and slammed the door close behind him.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble to you and your family. I swear I would never tell anyone your secret. I should probably go now. The last thing I want is to cause a wedge between you guys because of me." I rambled while attempting to wriggle my way out of Rosalie's arms. Rosalie tightened her hold on me, moving my body to face her.

"Bella, stop! You're not going anywhere! I want you to look at me and listen carefully okay." Rosalie said firmly, gripping my chin with her fingers, making me look at her. I nodded my head and she continued speaking.

"I don't care what you know about us. I meant what I said about you being important to me, so stop doubting it. We all obviously need to talk about how you knew about us, but please, please don't ever try to pull away from us again. From Me again. It really hurts my heart when you do that." Rosalie told me almost pleadingly. It took a few moments for me to digest what she said. There were still so many questions I had about why she keeps emphasising on me being important to her, to the point she was choosing to defend me against her own family members. But since I was currently too emotionally drained and hungry from all that's just happened, I decided to store those questions for later and just take things as they come.

I gave Rosalie a smile of acceptance and leaned back into her front with my head against her shoulder for comfort. She let out a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around my torso, drawing me impossibly closer to her. After a moment of just closing my eyes to soak in the intimacy of being held, I lifted my head to look at Esme. She opened her arms towards me, inviting me in for a hug too and my face brightened at this. Taking a few quick strides towards Esme, she pulled me into a warm motherly embrace.

"Rosalie's right, sweetie. You are very important to us, so don't think about going anywhere. We're keeping you no matter what happens. And don't worry about Edward, I'll talk to him later." Esme told me reassuringly.

"Now, moving on from all the crying, let's get you fed. I've made you a whole table full of delicious food, so you better start eating!" Esme announced excitedly, trying to break the heavy tension that's built up in the room. I could hear the guys groan and Alice giggle.

Rosalie silently took a hold of my hand again and led me towards the breakfast bar. She then sat down on a bar stool and pulled me down to sit on her lap. Once seated, Rosalie wrapped her arms around my waist securely and rested her chin on my shoulder. It's amazing how comfortable I was with Rosalie's constant physical contact. I didn't feel awkward at all. I turned my head slightly to give her a shy smile, then moved my focus back to the table of feast Esme was unwrapping and heating up.

"Here, try this bear claw while you're waiting. It's my first time making them." Esme said while handing me a sticky pastry. I eagerly grabbed it and took a big bite.

"Mmm...this tastes amazing..." I moaned out. It was so good that I couldn't help but inhale the whole thing into my mouth. Esme looked pleased with my reaction and quickly handed me another dish to taste once she saw I had finished the bear claw. I took a spoon and shovelled up what looked like cottage pie and just like I predicted, it tasted amazing.

"You are a domestic goddess, Esme. If you weren't already married, I'd totally take you as my wife." I joked. Esme looked flattered and laughed out loudly, while Rosalie growled softly at what I said, tightening her hold on me. I gave her a questioning look, but all she did was grumble something about being able to cook too, then buried her face into my neck.

_-Back to Present time-_

I could feel Rosalie brushing my hair up into a pony tail. I loved it when she plays with my hair. It was such a soothing and intimate feeling. I must have looked dopey or something, because Esme looked at me with amusement and gave a light chuckle. She then picked up a napkin and reached over the table to wipe something off my cheek. I blushed at being fussed over like a small child, but somewhere inside my body, I could feel a pleasant warmth growing.

After miraculously eating at least another dozen of different dishes, I finally felt full and sated. It really was a surprise how much I managed to eat. It's like I'm eating on behalf of a whole AFL team. Looking at all the food still on the table, I felt a bit disappointed that I couldn't fit anymore into my stomach, as there were still a few more amazing looking dishes I still haven't tried. Esme reassured me that she would pack all the left overs for me to take home so I could share it with Charlie. Happy with that idea, I gave her my megawatt smile and got up from Rosalie's lap to stretch my body.

Alice bounced into the room and looked at me with a cheerful smile.

"Hey, Bella. I see you've refuelled. Just wanted to let you know, I've already started washing and drying your clothes. How about you come sit in the living room with us, and tell us your story. You can say as little or as much as you want. No pressure." Alice said with a hopeful but apprehensive look on her face.

I looked at Alice and everyone else standing around me. They all looked eager to hear my explanation, but I also knew they wouldn't push me if I decided not to say anything. Wanting to lift the weight of keeping secrets off my shoulder, I made the decision to tell them what I knew.

"Okay, let's do this." I announced.


	7. Baby Swan

**Rosalie's POV**

I have been one big emotional mess since meeting My Bella. One big smitten emotional mess. In the past twenty four hours I have known Bella, we seemed to have taken turns having emotional breakdowns and outbursts. There was also a lot of jumping to conclusions, and unresolved insecurity on Bella's part.

I have so many questions I was just dying to ask Bella, but there never seems to be a good time to bring them up. That is, until now.

Apart from Carlisle who was at work and Edward who's probably somewhere licking his wounds, we are all currently sitting in the tv room patiently waiting for Bella to gather her thoughts. It really was quite the shock to all of us that Bella had always been aware of our vampire nature. I just can't fathom how she could be so at ease being around us. Thinking back to every moment we've spent together so far, never once did I recall her showing any signs of fear or caution. All she's ever shown towards us was total acceptance.

Right now for example. I am sitting next to Bella our sides attached while I lightly played with strands of her pony tail, and all Bella did was lean into me more. That's just not what a normal human would do. _Not that I'm complaining._

Finally after what felt like forever, Bella spoke up.

"What I'm about to tell you will probably sound bizarre and make you question my sanity, but I promise you, it is all true. Did you see the outcome of this conversation in your vision, Alice?" Bella asked, looking over at Alice.

"Although I didn't see what you'll be telling us in my vision, I indeed can confirm that whatever you tell us will not affect our relationship with you negatively in the future." Alice replied Bella with a cheeky wink.

"That's good I guess. Well how should we do this? Do you prefer me to do all the talking or maybe you could ask the questions and I just answer you?" Bella offered looking unsure on how to proceed. I took hold of her fidgeting hands and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"How about you tell us what you feel comfortable sharing, then we can ask follow up questions which you are free to answer or decline?" Esme suggested. Bella smiled timidly and nodded.

"It's probably easiest to start by telling you a bit about the real me. My real name is Eliana. I was born and raised in Australia to Australian Chinese parents. I come from a very dysfunctional family, which I guess deeply messed me up beyond description. When my closest sister, my only reason to keep living died, I couldn't handle life anymore. So on my 30th birthday, I decided to end my life by jumping off the Sydney harbour bridge. But instead of dying on impact like I planned, I found myself waking up in this world as Bella Swan, a fictional character from a fictional book series I've read as a teenager called '_Twilight_'.

It's strange though, the only thing the book was accurate about so far, is the fact that you guys are vampires. Apart from that, everything else I've learnt so far about this world doesn't seem to match what I've read. Especially with how you guys are reacting to my scent. In the book, I am Edward's singer and Jasper has to constantly fight his hunger for my blood as well. But from what I've seen, none of you seem to feel any sort of thirst for my blood, which is good right?" Bella laughed nervously, trying to lighten what she had just shared with us.

I'm trying so hard to comprehend with everything Bella had just shared with us. It's definitely not what I was expecting to hear. Even with my sharp vampire mind, I was struggling to process and accept these new information. I felt great pain hearing how Bella suffered so badly in her previous life, that she would resort to ending it, but I also felt conflicted on how to deal with the whole 'waking up in a fictional world as a fictional character' speech.

I looked up at the deep-in-thought faces of my family and knew they were feeling just as lost as I was. Turning to look at Bella, I could see that she was feeling very vulnerable and nervous. I think the suspense of waiting for our reaction must be eating her up. Instead of dwelling on the legitimacy of her words, I decided to just accept her words as facts, and embrace her wholeheartedly just as she did for my family. Plus I don't see why someone would purposely make up such a ridiculous lie. The story was so out of this world that it just had to be the truth.

"So you just dropped into this world and Bella became your avatar? That's so cool! Do you have any special powers? Can you tell me what you read about me in this book of yours?" Emmett randomly burst out excitedly, cutting through the painful silence in the room.

Bella looked at Emmett with a relieved grin, and thought for a moment.

"Glad you're amused, Emmett. I do like the way you described my situation. I guess Bella really is my avatar in this world. As for what I know about you from the book, I honestly can't remember much. The book mentions that you are Rosalie's husband/Mate. She was the one who found you dying from a bear attack and asked Carlisle to turn you. You are playful, easy going, and have super strength which you never lost from your new born years. Oh and it also says you love fighting bears and playing video games. That's about it." Bella concluded with a shrug.

"EW, GROSS! NO WAY MAN! Rosalie is my sister, nothing more." Emmett yells with a nauseating cringe on his face.

"I totally agree! Never say that about us again, Bella. That's just wrong on so many levels. Yes, I did find Emmett, and Carlisle did turn him, but he is definitely NOT my mate or husband. He is my little brother in every way but blood." I told Bella with a grimace on my face. _What kind of book has she been reading? Is this why she hasn't been reacting much to the mating pull towards me? She seriously thought I was mates with Emmett?_

"Well that's just awkward.." Bella replied with an uncomfortably laugh. I huffed at her lack of excitement in learning of my newly revealed single status. I really had hoped she would show more signs of her interest in me. Bella looked at me with her adorable head tilt and I just melted. She always made my negative emotions slide away instantaneously when she made such adorable gestures. I just rolled my eyes at her cluelessness and wrapped my arms around her waist, cuddling into her side. I felt Bella rest her arm around my shoulder instinctively and ran her thumb back and forth on my skin there. _Mmm, so warm.._

"How about the rest of us. Does the book mention our gifts?" Jasper asked curiously.

"Hmm..well it says Carlisle has exceptional control of his blood thirst, Alice can see the future, Edward can read minds, and you can sense and manipulate emotions. Is that accurate?" Bella recited factually. Jasper nodded thoughtfully and proceeded with more questions.

"Are you aware that you could block our gifts? Why were we able to use our gifts on you earlier on, but not any other times?" Jasper asked.

"That's a very interesting question. I haven't really given it much thought, but in the book, Bella has a mental shield that blocked all mental powers, including those of the Volturi and Denali coven. But given how much the book already differs from this reality, I can't say if it's true anymore. As to why you could use your gifts on me just now, I honestly have no clue. Sorry." Bella replied sheepishly with a shrug.

Hearing Bella mention the Volturi should have worried me, but I was too distracted by Bella's intoxicating scent and cuteness. Unable to resist how cute her sheepish expression was, I turned my body closer to Bella and nuzzled into her hair subtly giving her a light peck on the spot behind her ear making her blush.

Upon hearing a deep annoying chuckle, I turned my head around just in time to catch a glimpse of Emmett's mischievous face. _Oh god, what is he up to now?_

"So, Bella. Did you leave someone behind? A lover perhaps?" Emmett asked teasingly while wiggling his eyebrows at Bella. Bella blushed bright red and looked down at her lap.

"N..no, I didn't. I've actually never dated anyone before in my old life, it's always been just me." Bella stuttered out embarrassingly with a tinge of underlying sadness in her tone. _Thank the gods!_ I thought to myself. I know it's horrible to be celebrating the fact that she has never been with anyone her whole life, especially with that sad undertone I heard, but I just couldn't help it. My Mate will be mine 100% with no past lovers dampening our relationship. _Well soon to be relationship anyway._

"Oh, that's too bad. Well, don't you worry, my little waffle. Emmett will help you land a hottie." Emmett said with a teasing wink at Bella.

"There will be NO landing of hotties! You hear me, Emmett Cullen?! You keep your juvenile ideas to yourself." I growled at Emmett. _How dare he try to put ideas in my precious Bella's head, even if he meant it as a joke. She is MINE!_

"Rosalie is right, Emmett. You keep your guy talks away from our sweet innocent Bella." Esme firmly warned. She then turned and addressed Bella.

"Bella, sweetie. You are not alone anymore. Your story is indeed quite bizarre, but I believe everything you told us. You now have us as your new family in this world. I am claiming you as my baby swan, and I will make it my mission to ensure you take this rare opportunity that fate has given you and relive your life in a bright and fulfilling way." Esme announced with conviction in her voice. I felt a twinge of possessiveness when Esme announced claims on _My_ Bella, but looking at her maternal expression towards Bella, I tried my best to suppress the instinct to make _my_ claims on Bella. My rational self knew Esme wasn't going to threaten my place as Bella's mate. _God, I really need to stop with all these whiplash inducing thoughts and instincts. It's going to drive me to do crazy things one day._

"I agree with Esme. You are part of our family now, Bella. Never will you be lonely ever again." I promised Bella. She looked at me with watery eyes and nodded while she leaned in to give me a very tight hug. I could feel her tears soaking up my top, but I don't mind. I scooped her up into my arms and cuddled her on my lap. Esme took over Bella's previous spot and joined in our cuddling. Alice and Emmett also came over to join in the group hug. I lightly smacked Emmett on the head as a deferred reaction from his earlier antics, but he just grinned at me like the big man-child he was and resumed his hugging. Jasper remained seated where he was, just smiling like a dopey fool. He was probably drowning in all this warm and fuzzy love we got going on right now.

After another few more moments of group hugging, I decided I was done sharing My Bella. So I shrugged my arms out slightly as a hint for them to back off from the hug. Everyone did so instantly and sat back down in their original seats. They were all smiling at me, obviously finding my behaviour amusing. Looking up at the clock, I realised it was nearly 11pm. Charlie was probably freaking out by now, so with much reluctance, I moved Bella out of my embrace.

"Bella, sweetie, it's getting late. We better get you home before Charlie sends out a search party." I told Bella softly. She looked up at the clock as well, gasping with surprise and quickly stood up from my lap.

"Oh my god! I totally forgot to ask Charlie for his phone number, so we can't call him. We better head back fast, he probably would be freaking out by now." Bella rambled while heading to the front door.

"Slow down, Bella. It's okay. Knowing Carlisle, he's probably already told Charlie of your whereabouts after I told him you were here. Come help me carry some of your food to the car, Alice will deliver your clothes back to you tomorrow." Esme calmly instructed Bella.

My poor flustered Bella meekly trailed behind Esme into the kitchen to collect her beloved food. Emmett and Jasper also went in to assist them. When they came back out, all hands full of tupperware containers, I opened the front door and led them to my car.

After Bella bid her farewell to everyone, I made sure she was buckled in safely and we sped through the dark night all the way to Bella's house.

**Bella's POV**

After such a full on night of crying and heartfelt sharing, I was feeling exhausted. Tonight was definitely not what I expected, but I'm glad it turned out this way. It was such a big relief to not have to hold onto such a big secret anymore. We can now all be ourselves freely.

Looking at Rosalie's beautiful face as she drove, I couldn't help but feel a small flutter in my stomach. She has been so amazing to me. Never once did she leave my side. It's getting really hard for me to suppress my growing crush on her, especially after finding out about her and Emmett not being mates. _Who am I kidding. A goddess like her deserves someone perfect. Definitely not me. Sighs..._

Sensing my stare, Rosalie turned to look at me.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours? Care to share?" Rosalie asked with a loving grin. _I must be seeing things now._

"Nothing much, just thinking about how grateful I am to have you in my new life. Thank you, Rosalie. You've been amazing to me." I told Rosalie sincerely with a smile. Rosalie brushed it off like it was no big deal.

"You don't have to thank me, Bella. It is me who should be thanking you. It's been a privilege and pleasure to have met you. Our time spent together means a lot to me. You've changed my life quite drastically without even knowing it." Rosalie replied truthfully.

I was floored by her response. How can this blonde goddess think so highly of me, when it is I who was lucky enough to have met a perfect being like her.

Before I knew it, Rosalie was pulling up to my house already. I felt a bit sad that we had to part ways. I really enjoyed having her near me. I could see Rosalie also felt the same disappointed, but at least we'll be seeing each other again tomorrow, right?

"I'm glad we spent today together, Bella. And thank you for opening up about yourself to us. I promise I will always protect you. I will never leave you or intentionally hurt you." Rosalie said sincerely while cupping my face with her hand. I leaned into her touch and placed my hand on top of hers, giving it a squeeze in acknowledgement. She gave me a beautiful smile in response and moved her hand away as she proceeded to step out of the car. I did the same and began helping her grab the containers of food from her backseat.

The sensor lights on the porch came on and I could see Charlie quickly walking towards us with a look of relief.

"Oh thank god you're okay, Bella. I was starting to get worried. Carlisle sent me a message earlier tonight, but I was still so worried about you. I'm glad to see you are fine and apparently very well fed. Here, let me carry some of those for you." Charlie said with a sigh of relief while eyeing the back seat full of tupperware containers with amusement.

When we entered the house, I noticed the once unused dining room was now filled with quite a few parcels piled up. After placing all the food in the fridge, I walked back into the dining room.

"Hey, Charlie. What's all this?" I asked curiously. Charlie came over with a massive smile on his face, and started digging through the items.

"These are all welcome home gifts for you, and also some items I ordered from Walmart yesterday. Let me show you everything before you head to bed, I'm sure you will like them." Charlie explained excitedly. I also felt very excited. It has been a very long time since I've received any sort of presents. It just wasn't something my family ever did, nor did I have many friends close enough to be giving me gifts. Taking hold of Rosalie's hand, I pulled her over with me towards where Charlie was standing. I wanted her to be part of all this excitement too.

"First, let me show you what I got for you. I ordered you an iPhone with a 24months phone plan, as well as a laptop computer that includes an internet plan. I believe every teenager needs both, well that's what my poker buddies with teenagers told me anyway. Hope you like them. Oh! I also got you a new mattress for your bed which is already up there in place, so you don't have to sleep on that lumpy old one anymore.

Next let me show you what my friends down at La Push ordered for you. They were very excited to hear of your return and have invited us over to their home for dinner this coming Friday. Sue bought you an electric throw blanket, a pair of Ugg boots and some fancy looking Dyson supersonic hairdryer. The Blacks and Atearas chipped in and got you a 32" Smart TV for your room. And lastly, we have an air fryer, a milk frothier/warmer, and a wooden box filled with a variety of teas. Those are all from my childhood bestie and his family. I must say, their choice in gifts seem very random." Charlie said thoughtfully while rubbing the back of his neck. I was in awe with the amount of generosity and thoughtfulness I was receiving from Charlie and his friends. What shocked me the most was how they were able to give me exactly all the comfort things I use to have back in my old life.

"I don't know what to say. These gifts are all so perfect! Thank you so much, Dad. You have no idea how much I love each and everyone of these items." I said gratefully, surprising him with a brief but very tight hug. Charlie chuckled awkwardly and patted my shoulder.

"I'm glad to hear that, Bells. I'll be sure to let everyone know how much you loved the presents." Charlie said.

"Thanks. I'll make sure to thank them in person too when I see them." I told Charlie.

"I'm sure they would appreciate that. Well it's getting late and I have work in the morning, so I'm going to head up to bed now. Don't stay up too late okay. And Rosalie, feel free to sleepover, but if you are planning on going home tonight, please be careful. Good night girls." Charlie said while waving at us as he headed upstairs.

"I will, Chief Swan. Have a good sleep." Rosalie politely replied to Charlie.

"So, Rosalie. Do you plan on hanging around while I sleep or do you have somewhere to be?" I asked jokingly. I really wanted her to stay over, as she makes me feel so secure, but at the same time I didn't want her to think I was needy or clingy.

"Bella, honey. I would love to stay with you all night, but I really have to go hunt. But I promise, you will see me again in the morning. I'll come right back as soon as I'm done with my hunt." Rosalie said reassuringly while pulling me into her embrace. I felt so relieved that she reacted so positively to my question. It's like she always knows exactly what to say to diminish my self-doubts. _What an amazing woman she is._

"Okay, I hope you have a satisfying hunt. I look forward to waking up tomorrow morning like I did today. You can come into my room through my window anytime, just make sure no one else does it." I said while laughing nervously. Rosalie tightened her hold on me before letting go and giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"That sounds like a good plan. I definitely will make sure no one dares enter your room without your permission. Sleep well, _My Bella_." Rosalie whispered softly into my ear, then headed out of the house. Shivers, good shivers ran down my body.

Once I've waved goodbye to Rosalie and locked the door, I headed straight to bed, hoping she will come back soon.

_Man, what a day..._


	8. First Day of School

**Chapter 8 - First day of school**

**Bella's POV**

The light touch of a finger tracing a path down my face roused me from deep sleep. The sensation tickled, so I scrunched up my nose, and tried to ignore it by burying my face deep into my body pillow. I could hear a delighted feminine chuckle close to my ear, and felt my body pillow being pulled away from me. The sudden empty space and cold breeze made me whimper out my protest. I was half a second away from opening my eyes to see who was ruining my early morning snuggles, but then I felt myself being encircled into a very secure embrace. I felt a gentle hand bury into my hair lightly scratching my scalp, and another hand stroking up and down my back. These sensations were giving me sensory overload in the best way possible, causing a small moan to slip out of me. I felt the hands freeze for a brief moment before resuming their movements.

I involuntarily shivered as lips brushed against my ear whispering "Good morning, beautiful. It's time to wake up." _God, I must still be dreaming._

"Come on Bella, open those beautiful eyes for me." The angelic voice encouraged a bit louder now, followed by the sensation of light pecks landing on random parts of my face. Unable to keep my eyes closed any longer, I opened them and was met with the heavenly sight of a smiling Rosalie.

It's been the third morning in a row that I have woken up to the beautiful sight that is Rosalie. And it seems to have become a routine to be woken up by her in the most wonderful yet painfully affectionate way possible. I say wonderful because her touches and affections towards me was so sensually instinctual that I felt nothing but safe and loved, though also painful because I'm trying so hard to suppress this crush I have on 's taking all my will power not to perverse her innocent touches and words into something more than her platonic intentions. _FML.._

Shaking myself out of my inner thoughts, I gave Rosalie a shy smile, and rolled away from her to stretch my body. "Good morning Rosie, when did you come back from your hunt?"

"A few hours ago. While you were sleeping, I've packed your lunch and school bag, so all you have to do this morning is get dressed and eat the big breakfast I have prepared for you downstairs." Rosalie told me with a wink.

At the mention of food, I jumped out of bed, and sped my way down into the kitchen. I could hear Rosalie laughing behind me, telling me to be careful going down the stairs. What greeted me on the breakfast bar was the mouth watering sight of a mountain of Chinese steamed pork buns, a large bowl of cut up tropical fruits, a large mug of hot Milo sitting on the milk warmer, and a short stack of hotcakes. Without further delay, I dug in.

"How on earth did you manage to get all these? And how did you know they were one of my favourites?" I asked while taking large bites out of a spongy pork bun.

Rosalie brushed some crumbs off my face affectionately and smiled. "The pork buns are actually from Charlie. He bought them home this morning after his morning jog. Those tropical fruits are the curtesy of Alice and Emmet who ran to god knows where to buy them. I think they are competing with each other to win the place of being your new bff. As for the hotcakes and Milo, I made them myself." Rosalie said proudly.

I was floored with how everyone was spoiling me. The amount of love and attention I have experienced so far in this new life has been overwhelmingly touching. I'm not use to this, and honestly have no idea how I can pay them back or show my gratitude. I guess the best thing I can do right now is just accept everything gracefully, and give my 100% whenever the opportunity to repay arises.

"You are all so amazing. Thank you for doing so much for me. You have no idea how grateful I am. The happiness I have felt in these last few days probably accounted for more than I've ever experienced in my old life. If there is anything I can ever do to repay you or your family, please don't hesitate to tell me okay?" I expressed sincerely. Rosalie just nodded her head with a warm smile and told me to keep eating.

While I continued to work my way through all the delicious food, Rosalie decided to work on my hair. I love how gentle she was when brushing and braiding my hair, it's something I've only on rare occasions experienced in my old life. I still remember the last time someone else did my hair for me. It was on the morning of my University graduation ceremony. My closest older sister Aaliyah showed up at my dorm room to surprise me with my favourite MacDonalds breakfast. She told me she wanted to make sure I looked and felt my best, so she styled my hair, and did my make up while I ate. That was 10 years ago. After that time, our lives drifted further and further apart.

"Done. Take a look at yourself, Bella. You look very sweet." Rosalie stated, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked into the mirror Rosalie placed in front of me, and I could see the beautiful half braid she made. I gave her a wide appreciative nose crinkle grin through the mirror before stuffing another large chunk of hotcakes into my mouth. Rosalie let out a laugh at my antics, and lightly grabbed the side of my head to place a quick kiss on it.

"You're too cute. Usually I would ask you to slow down, but school is starting in an hour, and I don't want you to be late on your first day of school. So hurry up and finish your milo. You still need to wash up and get dressed." Rosalie urged. As fast as I could, I gulped drown the rest of my milo and rushed up the stairs after stuffing one more piece of dragonfruit into my mouth. Rosalie just shook her head at me with an affectionate smile, and started cleaning up.

After I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and got dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, plus an extra cozy layer of the white cable knit sweater Alice bought me, I ran back downstairs to meet Rosalie who had already loaded my school bag into the car.

As the distance to Forks high school shortened, I began feeling nervous. First day of school has always been something I hated. If not for the secure presence of Rosalie, I probably would have been suffering strong waves of anxiety by now. Logically I knew there was no need to be nervous, as Rosalie and her siblings would gladly accompany me majority of the time in school, but I just can't help but feel anxious about the times that they won't be. I've always found teenagers intimidating, and they always seem to bring out my biggest insecurities. I really hope I can get over these pathetic irrational fears soon. Nothing worse than walking into a new school looking like a mousy loser.

Rosalie reached one hand over and took hold of my fidgeting hands. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Feeling first day jitters? You know I will keep you safe right? If someone gives you problems, and I'm not there, you can always sick Emmett on them." Rosalie said jokingly, but I knew how serious she was about "sicking" Emmett on other people.

"Thanks Rosie, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Yeah, I'm kind of nervous, but you make it better." I told Rosalie gratefully while giving her hand a tight squeeze.

Once Rosalie was parked in the school parking lot, I saw all the other Cullens sans Edward waving at me from their cars. Emmett bounced over and opened my door for me, while doing a silly little gentleman bow as I exited the car. "Good morning, waffles. Welcome to Forks High. I will be your guide and muscles for the duration of your stay in this god awful school." Emmett greeted with an overly fake English accent.

I laughed and patted him on the head before walking over to Rosalie who handed me my school bag. We walked over to where the other Cullen siblings were, and I greeted them. Alice hugged me in greeting, and Jasper waved at me. Edward mumbled a reluctant "Good morning" then disengaged.

We all headed into the school and walked our seperate ways to class. As Rosalie and Emmett walked with me towards the office to get my class schedule, a thought came to me. "Hey Emmett, why do you keep calling me waffles? I notice you've called me that a few times already."

Emmett gave out a booming laugh. "That's because you smell like hot waffles to me, the most delicious kind. But don't worry, I won't eat you. Well, not unless you really want me to, if you know what I mean." Emmett said with a mischievous wink, making me blush fire engine red. Rosalie pulled me flush against her from behind with her arms wrapped tightly around my waist possessively.

"If you touch her or say something inappropriate like that again, I will rip off your dick, and shove it up your ass." Rosalie growled out threateningly at Emmett. Poor Emmett raised his hands in surrender, but gave me another quick wink when Rosalie looked away. I wanted to laugh at his daredevil mischiefs, but I was too busy trying _not_ to enjoy the way Rosalie nuzzled into my neck.

With one quick peck on the cheek, and a final tightening of her arms around my waist, she freed me from her embrace, and took hold of my hand to drag me down to the reception office.

Inside the office was a middle aged lady sitting behind the reception counter, typing fiercely on the computer. When Emmett walked in behind us shutting the door a bit too hard, the office lady's head shot up and glared at him. He sheepishly apologised and sat down, trying to move away from her glare.

To divert her attention, i stood in her line of sight. "Good morning Ms, my name is Isabella Swan. I am here to collect my new class schedule and learning materials." I politely stated. The lady turned her focus on me, and her face softened.

"Hello, Isabella. Welcome to Forks. Please call me Mrs Shaw. Yes, your father called this morning to ensure we had all your transcripts and study materials ready. Here is your class schedule, please take a look and see if you have any issues or questions about it." She instructed while passing me the paper.

As I was scanning through the contents, Rosalie rested her chin on my shoulder to read the timetable with me. She then took the paper from my hand and drew a circle on certain boxes while crossing out some others.

Rosalie then moved to stand next to me and spoke up. "Excuse me, Mrs Shaw. Please allow me to amend a few things on Isabella's class schedule. As you are probably aware, Isabella has certain medical conditions that require close attention, so would it be possible for you to switch and amend the classes I've circled or crossed out? This would ensure that at least me or one of my siblings would be close by to assist Isabella if something were to happen."

Taking the schedule from Rosalie with a sceptical look, Mrs Shaw reviewed the changes that were made. She sighed and typed away on her computer for a few moments, and printed out what I assume was my newly amended timetable.

"I tried my best to match your requests, Ms Cullen, but Bella will have to take history and PE as scheduled. We will make sure her teachers get a copy of the medical report Dr Cullen sent to us, so everything should be fine. Here is your new schedule, locker number, and take that parcel over by Mr Cullen's chair. Those are your class materials. Good luck!" Mrs Shaw said in a rush, then went back to doing whatever she was doing before.

Rosalie grumbled something under her breath then took hold of my hand again. Emmett exaggerated the weight of my small book parcel by flexing his muscles at me, then followed us to my new locker. I giggled at Emmett's playfulness and how he was mimicking Rosalie's grumpy demeanour, but with one sharp glare from Rosalie to Emmett, we both ceased the childishness. After telling Emmett to place all my new books in my locker, Rosalie turned her attention back to me, placing a silver necklace with a pill size whistle around my neck.

"I'm sorry I couldn't change all of your classes to match mine. I'm quite pissed off with that unhelpful woman. She obviously didn't try hard enough. Don't worry okay? If anything happens, blow this whistle, and one of us will come to you as fast as we can. It's designed to give out a high pitch noise that only supernaturals and animals like dolphins can hear. It can also make Emmett do a few neat tricks." Rosalie Joked with her hand laid flat over the whistle on my chest.

My cheeks warmed when I made eye contact with her. She gave me a dazzling smile and affectionately stroked my blushing cheeks. _She's wooing me without even knowing it. Gah! Such sweet torture. God am I glad she never comments on my reactions to her affections. _Diverting my eyes from her face, I looked over Rosalie's shoulder and saw Emmett mocking me by cupping his hands over his cheeks softly sighing like a fan girl.

Seeing Emmett sobered me up from my Rosalie induced coma. I suddenly became very self-aware. We were in a very private moment in the middle of a very public school hallway where everyone could see us. I glared at Emmett, and promptly step away from Rosalie's touch. With this sudden distancing, Rosalie's once loving face morphed into one of hurt and confusion. Following where my eyes were, Rosalie turned around instantly to see who took my attention away from her and caused me to react the way I did. Seeing Emmett's mocking gestures, she furiously lunged towards him and gripped onto one of his ears, yanking at it furiously.

"YOU! Don't you ever do this kind of shit to embarrass or make fun of Bella again! If I have to tell you off once more today, I will make sure your prized collection of vintage games will be nothing but a pile of ashes." Rosalie harshly threatened.

I really wanted to laugh at how terrified Emmett looked, but decided I better calm Rosalie down so we don't make a bigger scene than we probably were. Circling my arms around Rosalie from behind, I hugged myself to her. "Come on Rosie, calm down. Emmett heard you. Let's head to class, we're already 10 minutes late." I whispered softly to her. Like magic, Rosalie stopped what she was doing, released Emmet's ear, and leaned into my embrace. I heard her take in a deep breath before turning around to face me. Resting her arms on my shoulders, she looked at me with a calmer demeanour.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Beautiful. You're right, we are late. I'm feeling calmer now. I'm glad we have English together first period. Let's go." Rosalie said almost shyly kissing me on my forehead. Taking hold of my hand, she pointed for Emmett to get to his class, and led me down the hallway towards ours.

**Rosalie's POV**

It has certainly been a long time since I had felt nervousness about anything, let alone going to school. After my hunt this morning, I returned to Bella's bedroom to watch over her. As the time to wake her up for school drew closer, my nerves grew stronger.

The past few days with Bella has been amazing. Everything was smooth sailing. I had her undivided attention for the most part, and our bond continued to grow stronger. There were no walls or awkwardness between us, and I felt like we were finally moving forward towards something more than friendship. She basked in my attention and affections, and turned to me to seek comfort and reassurance whenever something was bothering her. I'm really hoping to make her mine soon. I'm dying to kiss those lips.

That was why I became so furious with Emmett, when I realised it was due to his teasing of Bella's response to my affections that Bella suddenly moved away from my touch in the school hallway. I never want Bella to shy away from my love and affections, especially not because she was made to feel ashamed of being herself. It's going to be hard enough making sure those stupid humans don't project their petty toxic values on my beautiful Bella. I don't need my own family to contribute to that further.

I have a feeling this is going to be a very long day for all of us. Especially in those classes I do not share with Bella.

**Bella POV**

With a knock on the classroom door, Rosalie entered the room with me protectively tucked into her side. Her firm hand on my lower back made me feel less anxious with all the eyes starring at us.

"Sorry we are late, Mr Chase. This is Isabella Swan. I believe you have been given information about her?" Rosalie states confidently with slight intimidation that made Mr Chase avoid eye contact.

"Ah..yes. Welcome to our class Isabella, please take a seat with Rosalie. If you have any issues or questions, I'm sure Rosalie will be able to help you." Mr Chase stated dismissively, gesturing for us to head over towards the two empty seats near the back. Rosalie glared at all the students starring at me, and gently guided me to our seats with her hand still firmly on my lower back. I blushed at all the attention, especially when they watched as Rosalie fussed over me. I'm pretty sure they have no idea how to interpret our relationship. From the books, I knew that Rosalie was an ice queen at school, so to see her taking off my backpack, pulling out my chair for me, and basically coddling me, it's probably a mind boggling scene to take in for anyone in the school.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare? Turn around and mind your own goddamn business!" Rosalie hissed, making everyone look away immediately, probably close to pissing themselves. I nudged Rosalie's shoulder and gave her an amused smile when she looked at me. She gave me a wink before we both turned our attention back to the teacher who commenced class.

Finally after what felt like forever, the bell rang and we were dismissed. I looked at my timetable and saw my next class was history. _Well, this is going to be interesting. _

"Bella? Come on, I'll walk you to your history class." Rosalie said while passing me my backpack. I smiled thankfully at her and nodded. Instinctively, she took hold of my hand again and we made our way towards my next class.

"Sweetie, if anybody makes you feel uncomfortable, just say my name. I'm only next door, so I'll be able to hear you." Rosalie told me while giving my hands comforting squeeze. I smiled at her and nodded.

Standing outside my history class, poor Rosalie was still frowning, obviously quite reluctant to part ways with me. Wanting to comfort her, i pulled her in for one final hug and said "I'll be fine, Rosie. Don't look so worried. I'm sure everything will be okay."

Rosalie tightened the hug and sighed into my hair. "Okay. I'll be here as soon as the bell rings. Don't hesitate to call me." And with those parting words, I walked into my history class.

The first thing I noticed in the classroom was the table arrangements. They were grouped into tables for six. _Uhh! I hate group tables._ I walked over to the teacher to introduce myself. "Hi, my name is Isabella Swan, and I am new to this school." The teacher was a beautiful young woman of mixed decent, probably in her twenties. She looked up at me and smiled excitedly. "Hello, Isabella! It's nice to finally meet you. Welcome to my class. You probably don't know this, but my parents are actually good friends with your father. My name is Rachel Black, and everyone at school calls me Ms Rachel. But of course outside of school, you can just call me Rachel."

I smiled at her genuinely warm greeting, and already feel much more at ease in this classroom. "Hi Ms Rachel, it's lovely to meet you. I did hear my dad briefly mention you guys, and I look forward to the dinner with your family on Friday. Oh, and thank you for the house warming gifts your family gave me. I loved it." I whispered to Rachel, just in case it wasn't an appropriate teacher student conversation to have at school.

Rachel laughed and whispered back to me " It's okay to talk about these things in school. It's a small town, everyone knows everyone, one way or another." I let out an awkward laugh and smiled at her.

Ms Rachel looked over to the other students in the classroom, as if trying to locate the whereabouts of a particular person. I noticed some were observing our interaction, while others were just talking amongst themselves.

"Angie, can you come here for a sec?" Ms Rachel called out. A pretty brunette girl who looked like a slightly more Asian version of Ms Rachel came over. "Hi! What's up?" she asks Ms Rachel with a cheerful smile. She looked over at me as well to let me know the greeting included me too. I like her already.

"Angie, this is Bella Swan, Uncle Charlie's daughter. Bella, this is Angela, my little cousin. Her family are also quite close to Charlie. Angie, I'm going to trust that you can help Bella settle into our class, and make sure she feels welcomed." Ms Rachel instructed after introducing us to each other.

Angela smiled happily and nodded. "It's wonderful to finally put a face to your name. You have no idea how many times your dad called my house to ask questions about how to be a dad to a teenage girl. It's the most entertaining thing. He even showed up at our place extremely early this morning to ask if teenage girls need a 'breakfast for champions' before school each day. You should have seen my grandpa's face. He was in the middle of his tai chi routine, and got annoyed with Charlie's interruption for the thousandth time, so he went into the kitchen, came out with a bag of pork buns and slapped his head with it." Angela recalled while laughing hysterically. Both me and Ms Rachel joined her in a fit of laughter at the story.

"Oh my god, that must have been hilarious to watch. I was wondering where Charlie got those pork buns from. Tasted amazing by the way." I said while trying hard to stop laughing. But the imagery of Charlie getting pork bun slapped was just too funny.

Hearing the final bell for class go off, we all forced ourselves to take in deep breaths. "Okay girls, we can chat more some other time. Bella, go take a seat with Angie, class is starting." Ms Rachel directed.

I walked with Angela over to where her table was and sat down next to her. Looking around our table, I can see four other students. Once we had taken out our things, Angela made introductions. "Guys, this is Bella Swan, she's new to our school. Bella, meet Jessica, Andy, Mike, and Eric. Eric is my cousin too." I gave a shy wave and said "Hi, nice to meet you." They all waved back, some more enthusiastically than others. Mike being the most enthusiastic one. _Great, the part of the book I was hoping was inaccurate. Maybe I can sick Emmett on Mike asap, then I won't need to worry about brushing off his unwanted advances. _

As class went on, I found myself actually enjoying history. Ms Rachel had a very interesting way of teaching. She doesn't recite history facts like a boring monologue, instead she tells things like a story with many analogies that helped us better digest all the information. Without even realising it, the whole hour had flown by, and the bell was ringing already. I quickly packed my things knowing Rosalie will be waiting outside for me. As I got up, I felt a rough hand grip onto my shoulder. I looked up to its owner to see it was Mike Newton. _Fuck_.

"Hey there Bella, since you are new, want me to show you around the school, and all the fun spots around town?" Mike said in a creepy flirtatious way. I shrugged off his hand and took a big step back to put some space between us. "Thanks, but that won't be necessary. I've already got friends taking me around." I replied politely, but in a tone that should send the message that I'm not interested in him. He took a step closer to me, and I saw a brief flicker of anger in his eyes before his fake smile was back. "Come on, I bet they won't be able to show you the same kind of fun that I can. So how about it? This Saturday, I pick you up and show you a good time." Mike suggested as he inched closer towards me. As I was just about to give him a piece of my mind, I felt myself being yanked back and positioned behind a person. It was Rosalie.

"You stay the hell away from my girl, Mike Newton! Or I will make sure you feel a world of pain for the rest of your life." Rosalie hissed threateningly. I could feel her whole body shaking with anger, so I hugged her around her waist, hoping it would calm her down. I can see a lot of students watching us, including Angela and Ms Rachel, who were walking towards us, so I whispered softly to Rosalie. "Rosie, calm down. Let's just go, we're drawing a crowd. We can get Emmett to deal with him later." With that said, Rosalie immediately turned around, grabbed my hand, and dragged me out of the classroom heading towards the school parking lot.

Once we reached Rosalie's car, she pulled me flush against her body, holding me tight for a few moments, no words exchanged. Rosalie just wrapped her arms around my waist and nuzzled my hair and neck with her nose. I really should be weirded out by her actions, as friends don't do these kind of things, but since this wasn't her first time behaving this way, and for the fact that she is a vampire, I guess the rules are different. After a few more minutes of this, Rosalie finally eased up.

"Sorry for my behaviour, Bella. I just hate that vermin so much! I could smell his arousal towards you! It was disgusting. It isn't the first time I've seen him push his luck with girls. But when I saw him touch you, and said what he did, I just wanted to snap his neck and kill him right there and then. How dare he touch you like he's entitled to!" Rosalie rambled on, working herself into another fit of rage. I can understand why she would be especially affected by Mike's predatory behaviour, knowing from the book how Rosalie died. I was just as angry with him as she was, but I didn't want Rosalie to be stuck in dark thoughts, so I took hold of her hands to get her attention.

"Hey, Rosie. Let's not dwell on that pathetic boy anymore, okay? How about we check out what food you packed for me. We can have a mini picnic inside your car. I'm kind of starving here." I said with a small pout while swinging her hands like a child. That did the trick, and I can see Rosalie visibly relax and smile adoringly at me. Unlocking her red SUV, she flattened her back seats, and helped me climb in. Once she had turned on her car to get the heater going, she climbed into the back of the car to join me. She shifted our positions, so I was sitting between her legs. I blushed at this, but allowed myself to relax into her now familiar embrace. Opening my backpack, I found the lunch bag Rosalie had prepared for me. _She is so amazing. _Digging through the lunch bag, I found a tub of chocolate snack pack, a ham cheese tomato sandwich, a small bottle of Snapple strawberry juice, and some green grapes. After pulling out everything, I eagerly unwrapped my sandwich and basically inhaled it. Next I peeled open the chocolate snack pack and started scooping the chocolatey goodness into my mouth at a rapid pace. Rosalie chuckled, amused with my actions.

"Slow down, Bella. No one's going to take your food. We still have 20 minutes till the bell rings." Rosalie chastised gently, brushing some loose strands of hair out of my face. I turned my head back a bit to look at her with a sheepish smile, and slowed my movements a bit. She whispered "Good girl" and proceeded to open my bottle of juice for me. After I successfully inhaled everything in my lunch bag, I leaned back into Rosalie and sighed in contentment.

"Thanks for packing all that food for me. It's been a very long time since anyone's cared enough to pack me a lunch. I feel so loved." I expressed gratefully. Rosalie tightened her arms around me and placed a kiss on my shoulder. "You're very welcome, my dear. And I'm glad you feel loved. That was what I was going for." Rosalie softly whispered. I didn't know how to interpret what Rosalie just said, so I just filed it away with all the other vampire things I haven't learnt about yet.

Looking at the time on my phone, I saw that the warning bell will be going off in 5 minutes. I quickly took out my time table to see what my next class will be. _Double Maths? Damn..._

"You have maths with Emmett and Edward. If either of them give you a hard time, blow your whistle as hard as you can. That will blow out their eardrums with crippling pain, and I will also hear it from my class down the hall. Mike is in that class too, so I want you to sit next to Emmett, and don't acknowledge Mike at all, okay?" Rosalie said with slight angst and worry.

"Okay, will do." I replied Rosalie as I crawled over towards the back door to exit the car. _Hmm_.._Having Emmett in my maths class will hopefully make things a lot more interesting. Maybe I can get Emmett to prank Mike Newton._

Rosalie passed me my backpack, and locked up her car. We walked hand in hand back into the school, both smiling at how natural it felt.

"Waffles! There you are! We have class together next. You can be my buddy buddy." Emmett said enthusiastically while patting me kind of roughly on my backpack. Rosalie smacked his hand away with a warning growl, and mumbled something to him in what I assume was vampire speedy talk. I saw him look serious for a moment nodding at Rosalie, then gave me a happy grin again. When we reached the outside of my classroom, Rosalie cupped my face and looked deeply into my eyes. "I'll see you at lunch, beautiful. Remember what I said." She reminded me. I nodded and leaned into her hand in response.

"For gods sake, Rosalie. She's just going to class, not off to war. Stop being so dramatic." Edward scoffed, while walking pass us and disappearing into the classroom. Rosalie growled and was about to follow after him, but I took hold of the hand cupping my face to stop her.

"Don't, Rosie. Let it go for now. You'll be late for class." I whispered gently. Rosalie deflated and turned her hand to grip mine. "Fine, but only if you give me a kiss on the cheek." I laughed while blushing at her random request, and leaned forward to give her a light peck on the cheek. Her whole face glowed with happiness, and gave me a kiss on my cheek in return before heading off to her own class.

"You are both so whipped." Emmett snorted beside me. I smacked his chest hard, and he just laughed. "Come on, Juliet. Let's go inside." Emmett said, dragging me by the back of my backpack into our classroom. I was surprised that we were having maths in a science lab. With a gesture from Emmett, I happily seated myself in the front row next to the window. As there was a bookshelf along the wall behind me, I was basically tucked away in a safe corner with Emmett and Edward blocking out anyone from starring or approaching me. A bonus was sitting directly in front of the teacher's desk, so I won't have to miss anything.

When the bell rang, our maths teacher walked in. He noticed me, and walked over. "Hello, you must be Isabella Swan. Welcome to Forks High school. My name is Luke Wallis, you can call me Mr Wallis."

I politely nodded and shook the hand he offered. Mr Wallis was quite a pleasant guy. He had light copper hair, glasses, and a kind smile. As he began taking about maths, I could see he genuinely enjoyed the subject he was teaching. His eyes practically twinkled as he ranted on about the law of cosines. The topic was boring, but it's nice to see teachers who still had passion in doing their jobs.

By the second half of maths, I was starting to nod off. My food energy has worn off, and I was fighting hard to keep my eyes open. Just when I was ready to give into sleep, I felt a piece of balled up paper hit me hard on my right ear. It scared the shit out of me, making me jump in my seat, and smack my head hard on the bookshelf behind me. _Fuck that hurts._ Rubbing my sore head, I looked at my surroundings, and saw that everyone was looking at me. Emmett was trying to hold back his laughter, and Edward looked amused. Mr Wallis stopped what he was lecturing about and looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay, Isabella? The sounded painful. It's nearly end of class anyway, so why don't you go get that bump checked out at the nurse's office, maybe ice it a bit. She's just at the end of the hall on the left." Mr Wallis offered sympathetically. I nodded eagerly, and walked out of the classroom with my backpack after glaring one last time at Emmett. It was definitely him that caused me my current headache.

Walking down the hallway leisurely, I spotted the big first aid sign dangling on the wall. I knocked on the door, and entered the room. A young woman who was nearly as dazzling as Rosalie greeted me with a smile. Her exotic beauty had me feeling very shy all of a sudden. I wasn't attracted to her like I was Rosalie, but there was just something about her that drew me in.

"Hi there. What brought you here? Are you new to our school? I've never seen you before." The smiling brown eyed beauty asked. "Oh, er..I um..yea..I kind of hit the back of my head hard against a bookshelf, so Mr Wallis asked me to come check it out. I honestly feel fine. I just wanted to get out of there, because I felt so embarrassed." I explained meekly. The nurse laughed at my explanation and gave me a sympathetic look.

"Well since you're here, how about I take a look at your head anyway. That way, no one can say you ditched class. I'm Leah Clearwater by the way. What's your name, sweetie?" _No way! Leah Clearwater is our school nurse? This is just getting way off the storyline._

Clearing my thoughts, I looked up at her as she walked over towards me. "My name is Isabella Swan, you can call me Bella." I replied shyly. Leah looked at me with recognition and excitement, then pulled me into a very long tight hug. I was confused and feeling slightly awkward, but her hug felt so warm and soothing, so I leaned into her embrace.

"Well Bella, I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of each other from now on. Your father is basically my family, and our ties go way back." Leah said while inspecting my banged up head. "Did you know I was one of the first to hold you when you were born?" Leah asked. I shook my head looking intrigued as she continued to speak while placing an ice pack on the back of my tender head.

" I was only four years old at the time, but I remember that day quite vividly. I had a dream during my nap at the hospital while we waited for you. The dream was about a baby being born in the red desert, and a little girl who I felt was a different version of me was cuddling her, promising her she will always protect her. Then with a large gust of wind, everything disappeared, and I woke up. It made no sense to me until Charlie brought you out. When you were finally placed in my arms, I knew you were who I was suppose to love and protect.

It was actually quite funny how I ended up being one of the first to hold you. Renee was too exhausted to feed you apparently, and Charlie was still too nervous to hold you, so my mum who had just weaned my baby brother around that time offered to nurse you, as oppose to feeding you formula milk for your first meal. Charlie quickly agreed to that before excusing himself out of embarrassment.

After your feeding, I all but demanded to cuddle you, so mum got me to sit on the sofa, and positioned you in my lap. I remember how adorable you were, just like my very own baby doll. I totally chucked a major tantrum when a nurse had to take you back to the nursery for check ups, and it wasn't until they bought you back, did I calm down." Leah recalled fondly. I laughed at her heartwarming story, and could just imagine how cute she must have been.

As our laughter died down, we both just sat there silently while she continued to hold the ice pack to my head. "You know, I really missed you. It devastated me and my mom when Charlie suddenly told us Renee took you away one morning. We actually cried the whole day, and desperately hoped you would just appear again every time we saw Charlie." Leah confessed sadly. I could see a lone tear rolling down her face, so I reached my hand out and wiped it away for her. Leah gave me a watery smile, and pulled me into another lingering hug.

As we pulled back from the hug, I heard the school bell ring. I knew I should probably head out to find Rosalie before she freaked out, but there was just something about Leah that made me reluctant to leave her. I couldn't put a finger on it, but I just felt so familiar with her. I wanted to soak up more of her presence. Just when I was about to ask her more about herself, I heard a door slam open.

"Bella! There you are. I was worried sick about you. Why didn't you call me?" Rosalie asked as she rushed over and kneeled in front of me, taking my hands. I blushed at her attention, and looked up at Leah with a shy smile. Rosalie noticed who I was smiling at, and eyed Leah with a frown.

"Wolf, why are you here in our school? And _what _are you doing in here with _My _Bella?" I heard Rosalie ask Leah in a possessive tone. Now I'm confused. Isn't Leah the school nurse? And again why is Rosalie making it sound like I was hers?

"Bunny muncher. Since last Monday, I've been doing volunteer work here as a first aid officer. Got a problem with that?" Leah asked Rosalie in a slightly challenging tone. They were both standing in a power pose, eyeing each other like two predators ready to fight.

"Uh ladies, you know I'm still in the room right? Isn't there some kind of rule where you're not suppose to expose your secrets to humans?" I reminded them. They both looked down at me shocked, more so Leah than Rosalie.

"Fuck, Cullen! What did you do?! How dare you tell her our secrets! You broke treaty!" Leah whisper shouted at Rosalie furiously. "I didn't tell her shit, you damn dog! She already knew all this on her own!" Rosalie said defensively. I just buried my face in my hands, feeling a headache building up.

"Guys, stop! Please. I'm getting a headache." I moaned out in discomfort. Hearing me in distress, both Leah and Rosalie kneeled down next to me quickly trying to see what was wrong with me.

"Is it your head, Bella? Do you need some aspirins for it?" Leah questioned worriedly.

"What's wrong with your head? What the fuck happened?" Rosalie asked in a slight panic, looking between me and Leah.

"I accidentally banged the back of my head on a bookshelf in maths class, that's why the teacher sent me here to get it checked out. I'm fine really, Leah iced it for me." I explained to Rosalie while smiling at Leah. Instead of the reassurance I thought my statement would have provided, Rosalie had a look of _Jealousy_? as she eyed Leah, more specifically the hand Leah had placed on my knee. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Rosalie focused back on me.

"Maybe we should take you to the hospital to get checked out. I'm sure Carlisle can make himself available." Rosalie suggested worriedly while running her hands along my scalp checking for injury. I took hold of her hands to halt her movements, and gave them a light squeeze.

"Rosie, I'm okay. Really. How about you take me to the cafeteria instead. I'm kind of starving now." I suggested. I really was feeling quite hungry right now. Rosalie and Leah both laughed at my statement, and stood up at the same time. Rosalie picked up my backpack with one hand, and took hold of my hand with the other. Once I stood up, she began leading me out of the nurse's office. Just before we exited though, I stopped and turned around to look at Leah.

"It's nice to meet you, Leah. Will you be joining the family dinner on Friday?" I asked hopefully.

"You bet I will be, baby doll." Leah replied with a playful flirtatious wink. I blushed at her sassy attitude, and responded with a happy but shy smile. Rosalie growled at Leah, and tugged me closer to her. I gave one final wave to Leah, and followed Rosalie out the door.

Once we were outside what I assumed was the cafeteria, Rosalie halted our movements, and turned me around to face her. She had a look of annoyance and something else I couldn't identify. "Bella, be careful with that girl. She's a hot tempered wolf. I don't want you to get too close to her or her pack. They could lose control and hurt you." Rosalie said with worry.

"Everything will be fine, Rosie. I know all about the shifters. They are good people, just like your family. Plus, Charlie's practically family with them apparently, so that says something right? But I promise to be careful either way, okay?" I told her reassuringly, hoping to ease her concerns. Rosalie sighed and nodded reluctantly to my statement.

"Now come on! I'm starving, and I can't wait to see what this school has to offer on their menu!" I excitedly said while tugging Rosalie with me into the cafeteria. Giving me an amused smile, Rosalie allowed me to pull her along.

I was very aware of all the eyes watching our interactions, but with Rosalie by my side, I felt more confident in myself. I stood in front of the menu board and inspected all the availabilities. There were so much food I wanted to try, but just couldn't make up my mind. I felt a light nudge on my shoulder, and saw that it was Alice.

"Hi, Bella! Nice to finally see you again. How about you take a look at what we've already bought, then just pick something else you want to try later. You know we only buy all that food for show. It's all yours to eat." Alice told me, pointing over to their table.

Talk about best of both worlds. I followed Alice over to their table at the far corner of the cafeteria and noticed all the Cullens were already there. I waved at everyone, and they all responded in similar manner.

"Like what you see?" Emmet asked teasingly. I looked at all their trays and nodded as if hypnotised by all the food. I heard a few chuckles, but didn't pay them any mind. I sat down immediately, and Jasper pushed his tray over to me first. I gave him a megawatt smile and picked up the delicious looking slice of Hawaiian pizza. As I chewed the pizza gleefully, I looked up to survey my surroundings. In front of me sat Edward, Jasper, and Emmett, and on each side of me was Alice and Rosalie. Taking another big bite of my pizza, I moved my eyes to scan the rest of the cafeteria, taking note that nearly every table was packed with students. Many of them were looking at me, but I didn't meet their eyes. When I caught sight of Angela, I actually felt excited. I really liked her. Someone must have noticed me looking over at her, because they nudged her, and she looked up at me giving me a friendly smile and waved enthusiastically. I mirrored her action, then turned my attention back to all the food on our table.

I saw some cheesy curly fries on Emmet's tray, and reached over to grab them. Being the big child Emmett was, he picked it up just beyond my reach, making me pout a bit.

"Emmett. Don't make me come over there. Give that to her NOW." Rosalie demanded with a warning tone. Pulling a big pout of his own, he obediently placed the plate of fries in front of me.

"Thanks, Rosie. My Hero!" I said to Rosalie happily, hugging her sideways briefly before digging into the cheesy potatoey goodness. Rosalie gave me a fond smile and tucked some loose hair behind my ear. "Anytime, my lovely."

After consuming a grilled cheese toastie, baked veggies, some chocolate milk, and a few chunks of watermelon, I leaned into Alice's side rubbing my now very bloated tummy. Everyone around me laughed, even Edward, obviously fascinated with how much I was able to pack away.

"God, I'm so full! I don't think I can walk to my next class." I whined playfully. Rosalie pulled me over to lean into her, and rubbed my back in a circular motion.

"Sweetie, you really should take it easy on the food. I'm pretty sure teenage girls don't usually eat that much in one sitting." Rosalie said thoughtfully. I just looked at her and grinned.

"I'm a special kind of teenage girl, so maybe I'm built differently."

Emmet snorted at my comment and said "Well that makes two of you! Totally made for each other."

"What do you mean, Emmett?" I asked, looking at him confused. I felt Rosalie's body stiffen at that remark, and Emmett looked at me with a mischievous smirk. Just as he was about to answer my question, he suddenly jerked backwards on his chair and somehow ended up landing on the floor.

"Ow, Jazzy! What was that for! I never did anything to you." Emmett whined childishly. Jasper shrugged his shoulders, and gave Rosalie a secret wink. I felt like I was missing something, but brushed it off as another vampire thing. Alice giggled at all this, and Edward just rolled his eyes. _Such strange vampires._

After a few more minutes of idle chit chat, the first warning bell went off. Clearing up our table, we all headed out towards our next class.

"You have double class of visual arts with me and Rose now, Bella! It's going to be so fun!" Alice informed me excitedly, dragging me along with her. I smiled excitedly back at her, as I too really enjoy doing artsy things. Rosalie walked along side us, softly smiling at our cheerfulness.

.

.

.

Cradling a box of cute little clay creatures in my hands, I walked carefully out of the school with Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett. Visual arts was definitely my favourite class so far. After introductions and some instructions on pottery techniques, our teacher Ms Harley gave us free reign in making whatever we wanted with clay for the rest of class. Alice worked on making a vase on the turn table for Esme, and Rosalie stayed by my side as we made little clay sculptures. While I made mostly wonky looking imitations of my favourite food, Rosalie expertly moulded the clay into all sorts of adorable miniature sized creatures I requested.

"So, do you have any plans this evening? Would you like to come over to our house for dinner?" Rosalie asked with a hopeful smile. I carefully placed my box of creatures on the car seat and turned back to face Rosalie.

"Sorry Rosie, I'd love to, but I already agreed to have dinner with Charlie tonight. Rain check for tomorrow?" I asked while gripping onto Rosalie's hand, hoping to convey how much her invitation meant to me. Rosalie leaned in and pecked my forehead lightly. "Definitely. It's good to see you and Charlie getting along. I'll miss you tonight though." Rosalie said with a light pout. God, _how can someone be both sexy AND cute at the same time. She's killing me with that face._

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" I asked, hoping to turn that sad little pout back into her beautiful smile.

"Hmm, I guess you can kiss it better?" Rosalie suggested cheekily. I laughed at her quick change in demeanour, and gave her a light peck on her cheek. "Better now?" I asked Rosalie. She pouted and shook her head, then pointed to her lips. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest at her request. _Is she for real, or just joking around. Why would she want that from me? Yea, she's definitely just pulling my leg._

"Don't you wanna save that kiss for your future mate? Don't think I'd want to have some jealous vampire chasing after me." I said jokingly, trying to play off my nervousness.

Rosalie stepped flush against the front of my body and looked at me seriously. "God you're so clueless. Have you not noticed anything at all?" I shook my head totally confused.

"Bella, have you really been so oblivious to all I have said and done for you? With you? Do you not feel anything for me at all?" Rosalie whispered with hurt in her voice.

I thought back to every word, every action between us since we met, and I knew it was beyond what normal friends do. But I guess I avoided reading into it, just so I wouldn't get hurt if it turns out I was reading the signals wrong.

"I'm sorry, Rosie. I know I can be frustrating. I'm really bad with picking up clues. Could you just give it to me straight so I won't keep missing the point?" I asked nervously, looking down at our shoes to avoid seeing her reactions.

"For gods sakes!" Rosalie yelled, then grabbed the front of my sweater and pulled me in for a deep hard kiss. I stood there frozen like an idiot for a moment, then leaned forward to push my lips against hers too. It felt amazing, better than what I imagined kissing would feel like. Unfortunately, this was my first kiss ever, so I have completely no clue how to move my lips. I guess Rosalie noticed my lack of movements, because she moved back a step to look at me again.

"What's wrong Bella? Do you not want me?" Rosalie asked with a cracked voice. I shook my head rapidly not wanting her to doubt herself, and quickly pulled her back to me, hugging her close.

"No! That's not it at all, Rosie. I actually really like you. It's just that, I've never kissed anyone properly before, so I didn't know how to react to your kiss." I explained extremely embarrassed, hiding my blushing face into Rosalie's shoulder. I felt Rosalie shake with laughter, and wrapped her arms around my waist securely.

"Oh silly Bella. You're too cute. I'm glad you like me too. It was my first official kiss as well, believe it or not." Rosalie told me with a light hearted laugh. I lifted my head to look at her in surprise, and she just smiled at me lovingly while moving her hands up to cup my face.

"Really? How is that possible? You're such a beautiful woman. How has no one kissed you before?"

"Same thing can be asked about you, _Ella." _Rosalie whispered. Hearing her say my real name in her husky voice, sent a shiver straight through my body. _Damn...that was so hot._

I had so many questions I wanted to ask her, but I think they can wait till we are in the privacy of my room.

"Will you tell me more about yourself later tonight, when you come to my room at bedtime?" I asked shyly. Rosalie gave me a nervous smile, but nodded.

"Just so we're clear, you understand that I like _like _you, and you feel the same right?" Rosalie clarified, hands still holding my face. I nodded my head fiercely in response, and she said "Good" before pulling me back in for another earth shattering kiss. _God, this feels heavenly._


	9. Tai Por Waverley

Chapter 9 - Tai Por Waverley

Bella POV

I am still buzzing from all that's happened on my first day at school. I mean, how can I not? Not only did I meet Leah, Angela, and Rachel, I also received a heart stopping grand confession from Rosalie in the school parking lot, followed by experiencing my first kiss.

After a few more earth shattering kisses by Rosalie's car, we truly didn't feel ready to part ways yet, so we decided to drop by Rosalie's house first for a quick afternoon snack that Esme had prepared for me, before she reluctantly drove me back to my house.

The perks of this new life has been overflowing so far. It's still really hard to believe that this was all real. I even found myself reluctant to go to sleep at night, afraid that I would wake up to the nightmare that was my old life. I am also still somewhat experiencing cultural shock doubled over. The amnesia excuse can help me justify the Aussie part of me to people, especially since no one been in touch with Renee, but when it comes to the Chinese part of me, I have to conceal it fully. There will only be so many times I could use the 'Maybe I was Chinese in my past life." joke. But apart from that, I am feeling very happy, very wanted, and very secure.

To celebrate a good first day of school, Charlie decided to take me out for dinner at Fork's only Chinese fusion restaurant, famously known as Waverley's. I was so excited to hear this. It has felt like forever since I've eaten Asian food. Well apart from those pork buns. Standing outside the restaurant, I gave the whole building a once-over and was curious by what I saw. It was a four storey stand alone building that consisted of a Chinese restaurant, a Chinese medical dispensary, a small Asian grocery shop on the ground floor, and the other floors I assume were residential areas. This place had a very warm and welcoming vibe to it. I'm liking it already.

"You coming in, Bells." Charlie asked, by now use to my random spacing outs.

"Absolutely!" I replied excitedly.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was embraced with a sense of comfort. The aroma of Chinese food combined with the background noise of loud chatter, Chinese tv, and something else I couldn't put a name to, had me smiling like the Cheshire cat. The place wasn't big, but it was just perfect in my opinion. There were quite a few tables already occupied by couples and families.

"Hello, uncle Charlie! Hi, Bella. Lovely to see you again!" a cheerful Angela greeted.

"Hey, Angela. What a coincidence to see you here. Do you work here part time?" I asked Angela curiously with a smile.

"My family actually owns this restaurant, so I help out here whenever I'm free. Please follow me, I'll show you to your table." Angela said, directing us to a cozy corner booth seat, handing us both menus.

"Thanks Angie. Is Wesley around? I didn't get to see him this morning. Your grandpa kicked me out too soon." Charlie said humorously. Angela and I both chuckled at the memory of how things went down for him this morning.

"Haha yea, I think dad's upstairs settling my brothers for bed. Feel free to go look for him after your meal, I'm sure he'll be very eager to catch up with you." Angela told Charlie smiling.

"Great, I definitely will drop by to see him after our meal." Charlie replied before Angela walked off to serve another table.

Listening to their conversation, it sounds like Charlie and Angela's dad were very close friends.

"So you seem close with Angela's dad. Have you known each other long?" I asked, hoping he would tell me more about his life.

Charlie laughed with a fond look on his face. "I have known Angela's dad, Wesley all my life. Their family has lived here in Forks for more generations than I can count. We are practically brothers. I think it would be wonderful if you got to know Angela better too. She's a lovely girl. As are her whole family. They're the ones who got you that air fryer and milk warmer. You'll probably be seeing them a lot in the near future." Charlie told me, smiling warmly.

What Charlie just shared really caught my interest. These are things the books never mentioned. Actually a lot of things were missing, or were already proven wrong in the book so far. Hmm, I wonder what else will be different.

"Charlie Swan! You heartless boy. You come in here and don't even come say hello to me? And is this your lovely daughter? Why haven't you brought her over to see us until now?" a really old Chinese lady with snow white hair said semi sternly, while taking a seat next to me.

"Hi, Tai Por Waverley. We just got here. You know I would have introduced Bella to you sooner, but we just didn't have time till now. Bella, this is Angela's great grandmother. We all call her Tai Por Waverley." Charlie introduced awkwardly, looking somewhat like a chastised child.

I turned to face Tai Por Waverley. Her presence had such a comforting effect on me. I understood what "Tai Por" meant. It literally translated to great grandmother in Chinese. Hearing Charlie use Chinese words was kind of strange to me.

"Hello, Bella. I have been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time. After you finish dinner, you will come and have a nice talk with me, okay? And you, Charlie boy, will behave yourself with Wesley upstairs later. If I hear you boys waking up my precious great grand babies because of some mischief, I will make you both drink my famous full body detox herbal soup. Understand?" Tai Por Waverley said sternly. Unable to form words we both just nodded. Tai Por Waverley gave my cheek a light pat, then walked off to another room without any further words.

"Wow, Dad. She sure has a powerful presence. You looked so scared of her." I commented feeling both amused and stunned.

"You have no idea." Charlie whispered while turning his focus on to the menu. I followed his lead and did the same. Once we've found what we wanted, Angela came over and took our orders. It was quite comical seeing how Angela reacted when she took my order. She triple checked with me to make sure I was aware of just how much food I had ordered.

While waiting for the food, I told Charlie about my day at school. "So dad, guess who I met at school today?" I started off.

"Don't make me guess, Bella. Just tell me." Charlie responded with a chuckle.

"You're no fun. Fine, I'll just tell you. I met Rachel Black and Leah Clearwater today. They are both certainly something. Leah told me the whole story of her first meeting with me as a new born. What an adorable story that was." I told Charlie with a fond smile on my face.

Charlie cracked a megawatt smile after listening to what I've just shared. "That is wonderful, Bella. I'm glad you took a shining to those girls. I too remember the day little Leah first met you. Boy was she the cutest, bossiest four year old ever. She practically demanded I let you live in her house with her forever, even willing to swap her younger brother Seth in exchange for you." Charlie recalled humorously, laughing as he no doubt continued reminiscing all sorts of memories in his mind.

"Aww, that sounds adorable. I also heard that Leah's mother nursed me my first meal. She must be a very kind and lovely woman." I told Charlie.

Charlie looked up at me suddenly blushing fire engine red. He opened his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. I couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassment.

"What's got you so flustered, Charlie? Something you want to share?" I asked Charlie teasingly, wiggling my eyebrows at him. Charlie coved his face with his hands and let out an embarrassed groan.

"Uh..well...you see...Sue has always been the nurturing type, and at the time you were born, she had just weaned Seth, so because Renee didn't want to ruin her figure by breastfeeding you, Sue stepped up by offering to be your w...w...wet nurse." Charlie explained with a stutter.

I laughed at how painfully embarrassed Charlie looked while uttering out those words. It really warmed my heart to hear how loving and generous this Sue sounded.

"So how long did that arrangement go for?" I asked Charlie curiously.

"Leah actually got her wish, as you more than often spent the night at their house for the first three years of your life. Renee was experiencing some baby blues at the time, so on the nights I had to work, Sue kindly kept you with her." Charlie explained, looking somewhat sad for a moment. I'm not sure which part of the statement made him sad, but from what Leah had told me about my abrupt departure with Renee, I could easily guess.

Just as I was going to say something to change to a lighter subject, the food started to arrive.

"Hi ya, Chief Swan. Bella. Here's your food. Enjoy!" Eric greeted as he placed two dishes in front of us, followed by Angela, and then Eric again. Once all the dishes arrived, I immediately dug in, the heaviness from our previous conversation long forgotten in that moment.

By the end of our meal, you could see that everyone in the restaurant were stunned by how I had polished off the banquet of food on our table. In total we ate three entrees, six main dishes, a bucket of rice, and dessert for four. The highlight being the Peaking duck. Now that I thought about it, I'm actually surprised by how much my eating had increased in volume since landing in Twilight world. At first I was just wolfing down all sorts of food because of its bursting flavours, but now I've become aware of the fact that if I didn't eat regularly, and till my heart's content (meaning enough food to feed a family), I actually start to feel lethargic and drowsy.

"Right! Food is done. Charlie, you go upstairs and play with Wesley. Bella, you can come have a talk with me now." Tai Por Waverley suddenly announced, scaring the shit out of us.

"Uh, see you in a bit, Bella. If you need me, I'll just be upstairs." Charlie awkwardly told me with a reassuring pat on the shoulder. I nodded and smiled shyly in response.

"She'll be fine with me, Charlie. Come. Follow me, Bella." Tai Por Waverley said while gesturing her hand at me.

I nervously followed her through various doors and long corridors. It felt like a maze as we turned left and right multiple times. We finally arrived in front of a room with strong double oak doors, and Tai Por Waverley pointed at it and said "Go in." I nodded and did as I was told.

The inside of the room was warm, simple, but interesting. One side of the room was covered with a wall of many different sized Chinese medicine drawers, and on the opposite wall was a mini bar holding a traditional Chinese tea set, and a large comfortable looking white plush sofa with a coffee table in front of it. In the middle of the room, there was a large rectangular dark oak table set that filled the room with a crisp smell of the forest.

"Would you like some Chinese tea, Bella?" Tai Por Waverley asked.

"Yes please, I would love some." I replied politely.

"Of course you do. You like lychee red tea, correct?" Tai Por Waverley stated.

I was shocked that she knew my tea preference. Not even my own family and closest friends in my old life knew. How did she make such an accurate assumption about a white teenage girl that she just met?

"I know you, Eliana. I have waited 30 years for this day. I know you are confused, but worry not. I will explain everything to you." Tai Por Waverley calmly reassured me.

My mind was reeling. I was so confused and very curious to find out what she was talking about. But as luck would have it, Tai Por Waverley took her sweet time boiling hot water, and preparing the tea. It's as if she purposely wanted me to sit there and learn patience.

"Okay, let me start by saying, welcome home. I know you have many questions for me, but I want you to just listen to everything I tell you first, and answer my questions, then afterwards you can ask your questions, okay?" Tai Por Waverley stated.

I gave her a silent nod, and took the cup of tea she offered me. We both took a sip of our freshly brewed teas, and Tai Por Waverley began speaking.

"First I want to review what I know about your life as Ella, okay? And remember, nothing I say will leave this room, so you do not have to feel worried or ashamed." Tai Por Waverley said while looking at me for my agreement.

"Sure, I'm okay with that." I replied nervously, taking another sip of my tea.

"Good. Let's start. So 30 years ago, at the breaking of dawn, you were born on the land of the Arrernte people, or as most call it, Alice springs. Your parents were there on a business trip, and the Great Spirits saw that it was the right moment to welcome you and your brother into the world. In total, you have 4 older brothers and sisters. All had been greatly gifted, but also destined to carry the same bitter seeds in which your parents had planted in all your hearts from birth.

With this seed, they have all moved in different paths.

Elijah, the first born son of your family. He had the gift of persuasion, strong intuition, and good looks. Sadly, after enduring much of the abuse at home, the bitter seed in his heart roared with too much hatred. Just before your third birthday, he emancipated himself from your parents, and was never heard from again.

Amber, the oldest daughter, gifted with academic intelligence and the ability to draw followers in everything she does. The bitter seed in her manifested in the form of infidelity and fickleness. Her loyalty lies with only herself, and everyone in her life was nothing but a tool for her own gratification.

Aaliyah, the second born daughter, gifted with fearlessness and the ability to see the true intentions in people. She did not let the bitter seed take root in her heart. Instead, she removed it and defended herself fiercely from all with ill intent. She was your closest sister, and played a big part in protecting you from the worse of the abuse.

And then there was Jonah, your twin brother. The one destined to be your main guardian in your old life. He has a kind and generous soul, and was gifted with academic intelligence and music. Sadly the bitter seed had deeply rooted in his heart, causing great pain and darkness. But despite his suffering, he was still able to love you and protect you throughout your vulnerable years, just like Aaliyah." Tai Por Waverley stated, then paused for a moment to observe my reactions.

I was feeling slightly overwhelmed with the memories of my siblings, all of which Tai Por Waverley was describing quite accurately. Wanting to soldier on, I took another large gulp of my tea, and gestured for her to continue. Tai Por Waverley nodded, refilled my tea, and started speaking again.

"Your father had a kind heart, but was weak spirited. He lacked self-control, and was easily provoked and manipulated. Although he loved and treated everyone in the family well, he failed to guide and protect you and your siblings like a father should. He was blinded and bound by the controls of your mother, as well as the demons in his life. Although he was able to eventually escape the clutches of your mother, the damage had already been done to the family. Because of that, he will never fully feel the unity and warmth of his descendants.

As for your mother, it is truly hard to understand how exactly she grew to be the complex woman she was. A bitter seed was planted in her heart by her own parents as a child. With time, that bitterness took a dark form in building your mother to become power hungry and extremely narcissistic. She lusted for control, and prided herself in being able to remain on center stage wherever she went. She was the ultimate example of wolf in sheep skin. She was charming and charismatic. She could manipulate situations to put herself in favourable positions. She portrayed her role of perfect mother and perfect wife to the public eye so well, no one would believe otherwise. She had a corrupted sense of love and affection. She found power in isolating, psychologically manipulating, and implementing distorted feelings of guilt in her children, all for the purpose of satisfying her dark needs. Because of the damage she had done to you and your siblings, none of you have been able to form healthy relationships with other people. The consequences she will face for the remainder of her life is isolation from her family, and the eventual shadow that will overtake her spotlight of narcissism." With that statement, Tai Por Waverley took another sip of her tea, and stood up to take something out from one of the medicine draws.

Walking back to sit next to me, I could see my favourite chestnut cake in her hand. She opened the package for me, and gestured for me to eat it.

"And you my dear precious Ella, oh how special you are. I am so sorry such a fate was handed to you. I can see you have suffered a very hard 30 years.

For a reason unknown to me, your soul was split and placed into two different bodies, in two different realities. It seems the purpose you were born as Eliana, was to be a shining light to a very bitter dark family that had the ability to cause great destruction to many lives. You were made in hopes, your gift of healing and the light you emit could mend the brokenness in their hearts. Although at the time you were born, darkness had already consumed your mother and 2 older siblings beyond repair, you did fulfill your purpose in saving your sister Aaliyah and brother Jonah from being fully consumed by darkness. And because of your shining presence in their lives, they were able to go on and become very successful adults who used their skills and intelligence to save many lives instead of killing them. I know it must sound very unfair to be born just to be a mending tool for a broken family, especially when you had to suffer so much for it, but that is why you are here now. It seems the moment your life as Eliana ended, your soul came here to reunite with its other half." Tai Por Waverley concluded.

There were so many feelings in me right now, I'm not even sure how to process them. I felt torn. On the one hand, I felt very grateful to have this second chance in life, but on the other hand, I felt heartbrokened that my siblings who suffered worse than me wasn't here too. Tai Por Waverley gave me a few moments of silence and left the room to go somewhere. She came back not long after and placed a big plate of my favourite tropical fruits on my lap. I quickly took hold of a large slice of papaya and demolished it in no time, then I worked on eating my beloved mangosteen.

"I know it has been hard for you to hear everything I have been saying, but I promise the next part will be better, okay?" Tai Por Waverley said reassuringly to me, giving my arm a light squeeze.

"Yes, it was hard hearing all that, but I'm okay. You can keep going." I replied while continuing my task of munching on all the tasty fruits.

"Brave girl. Can I ask you some questions?" Tai Por Waverley asked.

"Sure." I replied.

"Can you tell me, are you still pure?" Tai Por Waverley boldly asked. Hearing her very blunt and personal question, I nearly choked on my fruit.

"Uh..Why do you ask? Is it important?" I asked embarrassingly.

"Yes, very important. So are you?" Tai Por Waverley asked again, not at all embarrassed by her question.

"Er...well if you are asking if I'm still a virgin, then yes. After all that mother had done to us, I have never felt comfortable enough to share my body with another person." I replied shamefully. How pathetic it must sound that in all 30 years of my life, I have not once been intimate with anyone. I haven't even been on a date before.

"Ay my dear, it is a good thing you stayed pure. You are very lucky your body was kept sacred. Don't ever be embarrassed about such a thing. I know your mother had hurt you and your siblings in very wrong ways, but I am grateful she never manage to take away your most precious jewel. Jonah and Aaliyah had done well protecting you. Because of their merits and sacrifice of themselves, they will be blessed in everything they do in every life thereafter. Before I explain to you why I asked about your purity, I also want to know, have you noticed anything different about your body since becoming Bella?" Tai Por Waverley asked.

"Apart from the big shock of waking up in the body of a 15 year old white girl, I don't really see anything different about my body. I did notice my very big appetite though. It seems I'm always hungry, and food just bursts with flavour in my mouth. Do you have any idea why?" I asked inquisitively.

"Hmm, interesting. It seems the changes are happening already." Tai Por Waverley stated cryptically.

"What do you mean? What changes?" I asked confusingly.

"Child, now that your soul is whole again, your new body will gradually transform into its original complete form. The reason I had questioned you about your purity has everything to do with your transformation. It is said that only if two parts of the same soul are pure and sacred, will it unite and become one again. And as for what kind of transformation you will experience, I'm going to leave that as a surprise for you. But some of your changes will be dependant on what it is your predestined soul mate needs." Tai Por Waverley explained cryptically.

Hearing all that just confused me more than anything. It's like everything I asked her was answered, but in return I just had more questions.

"Tai Por Waverley, where did you get all this information from? How come you know so much about me? Do you have some sort of gift?" I questioned.

"That is a very good question. As you know, our world is full of mystical creatures, and this land has been specially blessed by the original creators. My ancestors migrated here from China over 500 years ago. Yin Liang, and his wife Yu Shou were a young newly wedded couple seeking a fresh start and some new adventures in life. They both came from a long family line of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. With time, they intergrated their practice with local native healers, creating many new medicinal formulas and saving many lives. Proven to be honourable people to the local dwellers of the land, when the couple's first born son, Xin Yao became of age, the Chief of Quileute tribe received instructions from the great spirits to give him the name Micah, and to propose a marriage union between Micah and his first born daughter, Tia.

As a blessing on Micah and Tia's union, the Great Spirits bestowed a generational gift and responsibility upon our family. It is written that when the first born female of every new generation of our family turns 16, she will be chosen to carry on the gift of knowing and guidance. As you can see, I am still the carrier of this gift, and that is because there were no daughters born into our family after me until Angela. Angela, my great granddaughter will be next in line to take over my role soon. Her 16th birthday is nearing, and when she takes over my gift, she will be your new guide." Tai Por Waverley explained.

"What about the other sons and daughters? Do they have gifts too?" I asked inquisitively.

"They certainly do, little one. All who are descendants from our family will have on some level, the wisdom and intuition to heal a person physically, psychologically, and/or spiritually. If you look at my family's occupation list, you would probably find many of them working in medical and health alliance sectors. My father though, he found his calling in healing through food. That is why we have many family restaurants, catering businesses, and food related charity services throughout the world. It's our way of paying forward the gifts we were blessed with." Tai Por Waverley shared proudly. My mind was blown. Who knew behind that one dimensional character Angela portrayed in the book, was a whole mystical world of unspoken family histories.

"Wow, your family history sounds fascinating. Thank you for sharing it with me. You must be so proud to be born from such an honourable family." I responded in awe. I definitely did not see that coming.

"So what exactly does a 'Guide' do? Why do I need one?" I asked backtracking my thoughts to before.

"As a Guide, we have the ability to see the past, present and future across all universes. This is so we can find the answers to what we need to know in order to help with our assigned tasks or charges. Our role is to support you and others through their journey to fulfilling a certain destiny." Tai Por Waverley explained.

That was just unbelievable. If I had heard all this back in my old world, I would have made a run for it thinking that was all crazy talk. But weirder than weird, I am a white teenage girl living in a fictional world right now, so I'm prepared to keep an open mind about basically anything. Nothing seemed impossible here.

"So are there any other gifted people like you here in Forks?" I asked, now feeling very intrigued.

"Ah, yes there are. As you know there are vampires and shape shifters here. There are also other gifted people around that I am very sure you will meet quite soon. I won't tell you who and what their gifts are, you will just have to find out for yourself. Life is more fun that way." Tai Por Waverley told me cheekily, giving out a chuckle at the small pout I had on my face.

"Charlie is very close to a few of them. The most important one you should know for now is Sue Clearwater. She is a very lovely woman with a gift perfect for you. Very soon, she will become a very important person in your life. I cannot tell you how and why, but you will find out soon enough." Tai Por Waverley hinted to me again, cryptically. Gah! I hate the suspense of waiting.

As I was reflecting on everything said tonight, another plate of food was offered to me. Mmm, steamed custard buns and egg tarts. One of my favourites. Now that I thought about it, where is she getting all these food from? And why does she keep feeding me?

"Hey, Tai Por Waverley. Why do you keep feeding me food? And how are you getting all these food in here without me noticing?" I asked.

"It's part of my gift. I can access anything I sense my charge needs. As for why I keep feeding you, well it's just what your body is telling me you need. As I mentioned before, your body is changing, but I haven't gotten an answer on the reasons for your high food intake yet. I will let you know if I do." Tai Por Waverley assured me.

After eating up my delicious custard buns and egg tarts, Tai Por Waverley got up from her seat, and gestured for me to follow her out of the room.

"I think we have covered all the important talk we needed to have tonight. Anytime you need me, or just missing your Chinese roots, come here. This is a home you are part of. Take the time to bond with my Angela. I have a feeling you will be good for each other. Especially since she will be your next Guide." Tai Por Waverley said as we entered an elevator to go up.

When we reached the third floor, I could hear a few voices laughing and chattering. Following my Guide, we removed our shoes outside the door, and walked into a very cozy looking home. I could see Charlie sitting by a dining table with a couple who I'm guessing are Angela's parents. With all the beers, nuts and playing cards scattered all over the table, it looks like they're having a great time.

"Hi, Bella! That was quite a long talk you had. Come over here. I want you to meet Wesley and Ava. They are Angela's parents, and my good friends since our diaper days." Charlie introduced in a cheerful tone.

Wesley was a handsome clean shaven middle age man with short jet black hair. He looked like the kind of cheeky man that could bring out the mischief in others. Ava was beautiful. She appears to have Eurasian features, just like Ms Rachel, and her whole presence can only be described as graceful.

"Hi, Wesley and Ava. It's nice to meet you." I greeted shyly.

"Hello, Bella! We have been looking forward to meet you. I see you've inherited Charlie's shyness. Don't be. You're family. I'm sure Tai Por Waverley will make you feel right at home." Wesley replied with a secretive wink.

"Hi sweetheart, you sure have grown into a beautiful young woman. I look forward to getting to know you better. I have a feeling you and I will be seeing a lot of each other from now on." Ava also said with a knowing smile.

"Thanks." I replied meekly. Looking around the apartment, I noticed it looked a lot bigger on the inside than I imagined. It seems Tai Por Waverley had left too, so I went over and took a seat next to Charlie at the table.

"So sweetheart, how are you liking it here in Forks so far?" Ava asked me with genuine interest.

"It's been wonderful so far. Everyone has been very nice and welcoming towards me. And thank you both for the generous gifts you've given me. I love them very much." I replied gratefully.

"That's wonderful to hear, Bella. And you are very welcome. We knew you would love those gifts. Tai Por Waverley has never been wrong." Ava said with a beautiful smile, then laughed along with Charlie and Wesley. I laughed as well understanding the humour of her last statement.

"So is this entire building owned by your family? Does Tai Por Waverley live here too?" I asked, curious of this seemingly complex building.

"Yes, the whole building belongs to our family. As you know, the ground level is where we have the restaurant, the Chinese medical dispensary, the grocery store, and our garages. Tai Por Waverley has her own apartment on the first floor, where you will also find a recreational area, a gym studio, swimming pool, and our office. My parents, and my brother's family lives on the second floor. On this floor there is just me, Ava, Angela, and our two year old twin boys, Arlo and Theo. And finally there is the top floor where we have two self contained units used for accomodating guests, and a greenhouse where we grow all sorts of herbs, spices, and edible plants. If at anytime you want to get away from your naggy old man, you can come stay over here with us. Heck you can even claim one of those units upstairs as yours already." Wesley offered sincerely, giving me a playful wink. Charlie punched him lightly on the arm, while throwing some peanut shells at his head. I watched their interactions with a warm smile. It's so obvious how at home they all were with each other.

How wonderful it must be, to get along so well with your family members that you can all live in the same building. What a refreshing new perspective to family ties. I definitely look forward to getting to know this family more.


	10. New Discoveries

**Chapter 10 - New discoveries **

**Bella POV**

As I lay in bed reflecting on everything I've learnt today, I heard a gentle tapping on my window. Sitting up, I looked over and saw my beautiful blond angel sitting elegantly on the window banister.

"Hey, glad you're finally here." I said grinning happily at Rosalie. She glided over to me gracefully, and leaned in close to my face. Brushing her nose against mine, she gave me a gentle peck on my lips, making me feel all fuzzy inside.

"I've been waiting for you all night, Bella. What took you guys so long?" Rosalie asked as she sat herself behind me, settling me between her legs. I leaned into her body, and placed my hands over the arms that Rosalie had wrapped around my waist. She tightened her hold on me, and rested her chin on my shoulder.

"Charlie took me to Waverley's for dinner. He's close friends with the owners of the restaurant, so we stayed to hangout with them. Are you familiar with Angela's family history?" I asked Rosalie curiously. She gave me a kiss on the side of my head and nodded.

"Yes, I am aware. They're very good people. Carlisle has been acquainted with their family for a few generations now. Did you meet Waverley?" Rosalie asked tentatively. I smiled and squeezed her hand.

"I sure did. She's quite the character. We had a very long conversation about my past life, and her family history. It was very emotionally draining for me, but the things she shared was quite fascinating." I told Rosalie. She turned my head to look at her, and I could see her look of concern.

"Are you okay? Did she say anything to hurt you? Why would she bring up your past?" Rosalie growled, trying to read my emotions. I leaned my forehead on Rosalie's, and brushed my nose against hers.

"Everything was fine, Rosie. My talk with Tai Por Waverley actually helped me feel more light hearted now. It seems by having her reflect and make sense of my old life, she's taken it off my shoulders, and set me free to embrace this new life." I explained.

Rosalie cupped my face in her hand and looked at me with a serious expression. "I'm glad you felt that way, but you know you can talk to me too right? I know this sounds needy and possessive, but I want to be the first one you go to for anything and everything, Bella. I want to be your rock, your main source of comfort." Rosalie said with an almost pleading tone. I nodded my head in agreement, totally okay with having her be my rock. No one has ever made me feel so important and wanted.

Happy with my response, Rosalie smiled widely, and started peppering kisses all over my face and down my neck, making me shiver and giggle at the same time. This new level of intimacy of kissing was very new to me, but I didn't feel awkward at all. Our interactions felt so natural. I tried to squirm away from her ticklish kisses, but this just made Rosalie more playful. With a quick change of position, I ended up laying on my back, and Rosalie hovering over me. I smiled up at her, thoroughly enjoying our closeness.

"Your kisses tickle, Rosie." I giggled out. Rosalie smirked cheekily at me and leaned in closer. "Is that so? Well I better do it more often to help you get use to it then." Rosalie said smirking then resumed her task of placing another series of kisses randomly all over my face and neck. I laughed and proceeded to squirm away again. "Rosie! Stop making it ticklish." I whined breathlessly. Rosalie let out a throaty chuckle, and slowed down her kisses. "Fine, how about like this?" Rosalie asked, pressing a deep kiss on my lips. Still new to this whole kissing thing, I leaned in but let her take the lead. As Rosalie parted her lips to nibble and suck gently on my lips, I felt shockwaves circulating around my body, bringing strong pulses straight to my core. These sensations of intimacy felt so positively overwhelming that I let out a very embarrassingly loud moan, while gripping hard onto Rosalie's hips.

"You okay, Baby?" Rosalie asked, moving back a bit and subtly shifting her hips away from me. Another shiver went through my body after hearing her call me _Baby. _

"I'm more than okay. I've just never felt something so amazing before. Everything you just did felt so good, I couldn't help letting out that embarrassingly loud noise." I replied with a heavy blush on my cheeks. Rosalie smiled lovingly at me, and dived right back in. This time though, she moved her kisses along my jawline and down my neck. As things became more heated, her kisses became harder, and I felt her change it up with sucking and nibbling on my neck and collarbone.

"Mmm, Rose. As good as this feels, I think we should slow things down." I half heartedly suggested, my hands now under Rosalie's top, roaming around her waist and back. Rosalie gave me a few more kisses and playfully bit my neck before pulling back. "God, Baby. You're so addictive. I just want to do this with you forever." Rosalie moaned out, trailing her hands along where she had been kissing and nibbling. I looked up at her with half lidded eyes, obviously still on cloud nine. "I'm totally down for doing this with you forever, but it's getting late, and I can't fall asleep with you riling me up like that." I teasingly joked.

Rosalie laughed and rolled off me. "I guess you're right. But after what we just did , I honestly don't think I can go back to not touching or kissing you. So get use to having me all over you, _Ella_." Rosalie flirtatiously whispered right before nibbling on my earlobe. _Oh god..._

"No one has ever done anything like that with me before, so I am totally okay with you being all over me. After all, I do have 30 years of dry spell to make up for, so I welcome any TLC offered. Oh, and I totally love it when you call me 'Baby'." I told Rosalie humorously. Feeling Rosalie stiffen, I looked up at Rosalie to gage her response. I was surprised to be met with a suddenly very primal possessive looking Rosalie. Her eyes were suddenly pitch black, and she inched close to me, nuzzling her nose and lips along the side of my face and neck.

"You better not be accepting this kind of TLC from anyone but me. You are _Mine_. Every part of you. You are _My_ baby, and I will be the only one to ever kiss you, touch you, make love to you, and fulfill every need and desire you have. Understand?" Rosalie growled out firmly, giving my neck a possessive nip. I moaned at her words, and couldn't help but feel turned on by her possessive sexiness.

Not getting the immediate confirmation she was looking for, Rosalie pinched my ass lightly. "Do you understand, Bella? Only I will get to touch you and be close to you this way. You are MINE."

Wanting to sate Rosalie's inner beast, I kissed her on the lips firmly.

"Yes, I understand. I am yours. You will be the only one to ever kiss me. No one but you will see and touch my body intimately. Ever. You've stolen my heart the moment we met. No one will ever replace you." I stated sincerely, placing Rosalie's hand on my chest where my heart was still beating rapidly. Feeling satisfied with my promise, Rosalie eased up, and pulled me in for another hungry kiss.

With all the will power I can muster, I pulled away from Rosalie's addictive sweet soft lips. "Rosie, you got to stop. I seriously need to sleep now, or I'll be falling asleep in class tomorrow." I stuttered out, as Rosalie continued trailing kisses down to all her bite marks along my neck and collarbone. "Come on, Rosie." I tried again, this time with a stronger nudge to Rosalie's shoulders.

"Fine, sleep, but don't be surprised if I continue exploring what is _Mine _as you sleep." Rosalie said with a pout. I laughed at her childish pout and crossed arms. Moving off the bed, I stood and removed my jumper and leggings. Left in a long tshirt and boylegs, I crawled back into bed and settled under my multiple layers of quilts and blankets. Rosalie also took off her outer layer of clothes and joined me under the covers, dressed in only a tank top and surprisingly a pair of silky boxers. _Lord help me._

"Er...Bella? Since we are becoming physically closer with each other, I want you to know something important about me. Do you think we can talk about one more thing about me before you sleep?" Rosalie whispered in my ear, as she turned me around to face her. I looked her in the eyes and nodded. She suddenly looked nervous and I could feel her hands fidgeting with the blanket. Placing my hand on hers to stop her movements, I leaned forward and gave her a lingering peck on the lips.

"Babe, you can tell me anything. It won't change how I feel about you." I reassured Rosalie. She looked into my eyes, and let out a nervous sigh.

"Okay, hope you don't freak out on me. You see, Bella. I was born different. While the rest of me is very much female, I have the reproductive organs of a male. That is why I was killed. My fiancé and his friends were drunk one night at a party, and when they tried to...hurt me, they discovered my secret. Carlisle and Esme found me in a back alley beaten within every inch of my life, and Esme turned me because of the familial pull she felt towards me. No one knows about my condition except for my immediate family. I'll understand if you no longer want to be with me. I know it's not something normal." Rosalie rambled out in one breath, while looking at me as if expecting my rejection.

I can't say it was something I expected to hear. It really was way out of my thought process, but looking at Rosalie's current vulnerable state, I knew it didn't matter. Right now I just want to wipe that fear off Rosalie's face. Not saying a word, I lunged at her, kissing her lips and all over her face. I wanted to kiss away every pain she felt, and also convey my acceptance of her. I could feel tears rolling down my face as I continued to kiss her, but I didn't care. I just wanted to show Rosalie how much love I felt for her. Rosalie was dry sobbing as she held me close to her. After a few more moments of kissing, I finally sat up, straddling Rosalie's torso, and looked deep into her beautiful eyes.

"Rosie, thank you for trusting me with your secret. Hearing what you went through broke my heart. I hope those bastards had a painful death for causing you so much pain. You are so beautiful. Inside and out. There is nothing about you I would change. I know we just met a few days ago, but I already love you. ALL of you. Down to every freckle and mole on your face and body." I announced to Rosalie, taking her hands in mine, peppering kisses all over them. Rosalie looked at me intensely and pulled me into a very tight hug.

"I love you too, baby. Meeting you now made every pain I went through worth it. Thank you for accepting me and loving me, even after learning about my body." Rosalie mumbled into my hair. I stretched myself out to lay more comfortably on top of Rosalie, and just enjoyed our closeness. As Rosalie's fingers stroked my hair, I began to feel myself get lulled into sleep.

"Mmm, you're welcome. Night Rosie. Love you." I manage to mutter out before I fully gave into sleep.


	11. Pepper Grinder

**Chapter 11 - Pepper grinder**

**Bella POV**

_Yay! It's finally Friday!_ I mentally screamed as I placed my books inside my locker. I have been looking forward to today since I spoke to Tai Por Waverley on Monday. Tonight I will finally get to meet Charlie's group of VIPs.

Charlie explained to me that the reason why he waited till tonight to introduce me to everyone, was because he wanted me to have a few days to establish my school week routine. He also thought it would be a great bonding experience to spend the whole weekend down at La Push, getting acquainted with his "Gang". That made me laugh and warmed my heart at the same time.

Compared to my first day of school, the rest of the week had been quite ordinary and smooth. Sadly, I didn't get to see Leah again. And thank god I didn't get into anymore uncomfortable situations with boys or furniture either. Mike Newton had been avoiding me like the plague ever since Rosalie sicked Emmett on him the day after his misconducts towards me. Apparently the whole male population of Forks high now knew not to approach me without an invitation.

"Hey baby, what's got you so lost in your mind?" Rosalie asked as she snaked her arms around my waist from behind, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"Nothing much, just happy it's finally Friday, and wondering how tonight will go at Leah's house." I told Rosalie casually, leaning into her warm embrace. Rosalie let out a cute little growl, tightening her hold on me, and nuzzled her lips against my neck, peppering it with kisses.

"Do you have to go? How am I going to cope not having you with me for a whole weekend?" Rosalie whined sadly, giving the skin on my neck and ear little nips. Oh god, how am I suppose to think with her doing that to me.

"Rosie, I can't think coherently with you doing that to me." I moaned out shyly. Rosalie let out a deep chuckle as she continued her kisses. I tried to turn around to get away from her ticklish kisses, but she just tightened her hold on me even more.

"Eww. Can you not do that right now? We are in a public place, and you're drawing human attention to yourselves." Edward grumbled out, interrupting our moment. Rosalie whipped her head around, and shot daggers at Edward with her eyes.

"Piss off, Edward. I know what I'm doing. No one's making you stay and watch." Rosalie told Edward sharply. Edward rolled his eyes at her, and marched off towards the car park.

"Sorry about him, my love. He's such a prude." Rosalie said as she turned me around to face her. I smiled at her adoring face, and rested my head on her shoulder.

"It's okay. But Edward does have a point though. We should probably ease up on the PDA in school. I wouldn't want to draw more attention to you guys than there already is." I told Rosalie understandingly.

From the deep frown and cute pout on Rosalie's face, I'm guessing she didn't like what I was suggesting. In a blink of an eye, Rosalie had moved us into an empty classroom, and locked the door behind us.

"I don't care if the whole world stares at us like zoo animals. I have waited centuries to finally have you, and nothing will stop me from showing you just how much I love you." Rosalie said with conviction in her voice, pulling me flush against her body.

"You love me?" I asked smiling shyly at Rosalie.

"Of course I do! I know we only just met a week ago, but the more time I spent with you, the more I fell in love with you as a person, not just from the mating pull. I love that you are kind and gentle. I love how accepting you are of people irregardless of their quirks. And I especially love the grace, patience, and consideration you show to people around you. That is a rare quality to find in a person. You're the whole package, Ella, and I'm glad you are Mine." Rosalie passionately confessed while looking deep into my eyes.

I blushed hard at her declaration of love to ME. Not to Bella. To me, Ella. She really does have a gift in saying things to make a girl swoon. Not knowing how else to express my reciprocation, I grabbed hold of Rosalie's face, and roughly captured her lips with mine.

Like always, Rosalie took the lead, and we kissed with desperation. I tried to convey everything I felt for her in our kisses, and she obviously got the message. Without breaking the kiss, Rosalie lifted me off the ground, and I wrapped my arms and legs around her even tighter. She trapped me against the closed door, and started trailing kisses along my neck and shoulders. I could feel Rosalie's hands sneaking under my top, and roaming them across the bare skin of my back. This sent pleasant chills straight to my core, making me moan out loud.

"Mmm, babe. We got to stop. I love what is happening at the moment, and would love to continue, but I don't think this is the time or place to have our first time." I half heartedly rasped out, not at all doing anything to physically halt our current activities. Rosalie ignored my words, and continued her ministrations.

"God, Baby. You are so addictive. I'm so turned on right now. How am I going to survive a whole weekend without you." Rosalie moaned out huskily into my ear, as she licked the shell of my ear before biting it softly. I swear I nearly tipped over the edge at her words in that moment.

Feeling my shivers, and probably also smelling my now very obvious arousal, Rosalie pushed her body even closer to mine, grinding her now very significantly hard bulge against my heated core.

"Rosie. Oh my god...If you don't stop that grinding, I'm going to cum." I panted out desperately, trying to untangle my legs around her.

Instead of stopping, hearing my confession only encouraged Rosalie to grip onto my thighs even tighter, giving an extra strong thrust into my now throbbing core.

"So cum, baby. No one is here but us. Show me how beautiful you look when you cum for me." Rosalie all but demanded in her sexy husky voice. And that did it. With a few final thrusts of Rosalie's hard bulge against my sensitive core, Rosalie had me falling over the edge with hot white sparks shooting out every nerve in my body.

_Well, so much for easing up on the PDA..._


	12. My Snow Flower Part 1

**Chapter 12 - My snow flower Part 1**

**Bella's POV**

My body was still sparking with adrenaline as the steaming hot water trickled over me in the shower. I still can't believe that actually happened. Every time I replay the memories of what occurred between me and Rosalie just over an hour ago, a shockwave of arousal reignited itself. Never in a million years would I have imagined my first sexual experience to be that hot and epic. Everything about it was just so..._Amazing...Euphoric...Mind blowing_.

Wanting to make the most of what little time I had left with Rosalie before me and Charlie headed off to La Push, I quickly turned off the shower and dried off. Wrapping myself in a towel, I left the bathroom and walked back into my bedroom where my angel was waiting.

In a rare moment of confidence, I closed my room door behind me, leant against it, and looked at Rosalie with a teasing smirk. "Hey, beautiful. Did you miss me?" I asked Rosalie as seductively as I could. Rosalie leaped up into up right position from her relaxed pose on my bed, and just stared at me in shock for a moment. Seeing Rosalie's lack of response, I sauntered slowly towards her, but just when I was within her hand's reach, I made a quick turn to my right to head in the direction of my wardrobe.

Since I had my back facing my blond goddess, I could only imagine what kind of face she was pulling with that little growl I heard. I let out a light chuckle as I scrummaged through my draws for something comfortable to wear. I jumped in surprise when I felt Rosalie suddenly stand behind me while I was half bent over to put my underwear on. She pulled me firmly by my hips flush against her hardened groin area, and moved her lips along the shell of my left ear.

"When did you become such a little tease, huh? Do you have any idea how much self-restraint it's taking me to not make love to you right here, right now?" Rosalie growled out softly next to my ear as her hands slipped under my towel, running her nails teasingly over my abdomen. The intimate sensation caused my whole body to shiver in delight, which in turn encouraged Rosalie's hands to explore further up. But before she could reach her intended destination, I swiftly took hold of her hands and held them in place.

"Babe, as amazing as this all feels right now, Charlie will be home any minute, so I really need to cool off and get ready. I'd also rather the whole wolf pack not smell something that should be kept sacred for you only." I whispered breathlessly, still very much turned on. Hearing my statement, my angel picked me up swiftly and carried me back into the bathroom. She stood under the shower head with me still in her arms, and turned it on without warning.

"What the fuck?! Rosie! It's freezing cold!" I shrieked loudly, trying to move out of her arms. Rosalie kept a tight hold on me while she turned off the faucet.

"Sorry, baby. It was the quickest way I could think of to help both of us cool down. Wait here. I'll go get you another towel and some clothes." Rosalie said apologetically as she gently stabled me on to my feet. Giving me a quick peck on the lips, Rosalie sped out and back into the bathroom with my clothes and towel.

"I'm going to head off to hunt now. If I stay any longer, I can't guarantee there won't be a repeat of our earlier activities." Rosalie told me teasingly, as she wrapped the towel around me.

"Okay. I'm going to miss you. See you on Sunday when I get back." I said with a sad little pout on my face.

"You definitely will, baby. Be careful in La Push, and text me every now and then so I don't go crazy with worry okay?" Rosalie said as she pulled me in for one final lingering hug, followed by a very passionate kiss before leaving me alone in the bathroom to get dressed.

After shaking myself out of my Rosalie induced daze a few moments later, I quickly got dressed and bunched my damp hair up into a messy ponytail.

.

.

.

**Charlie's POV**

This week has gone a lot smoother than I had expected, especially given the circumstances.

So far, teenage Bella has been very low maintenance and amusing. Her accent for one baffled me to no end. Then there was that hearty appetite of hers that could rival with the La Push boys. I have also noticed the more than platonic closeness building between Bella and Rosalie.

Initially I felt unsure on where I as the father should stand in regards to Bella dating, but after a long talk with Sue, I took her advice on just giving them space for now, and maintain a supportive environment at home where both girls would feel safe and loved. Thank god for Sue.

On our way to Sue's house, we dropped by Waverley's to pick up Angela. Wesley said it would be more fun for the girls to have some bonding time before the whole family arrived later tonight. So here we are, all happily munching on a massive bag of prawn crackers freshly fried by Ava, while continuing our drive towards the reservation.

"So girls, how was school this week? Anything note worthy?" I asked casually, hoping to make chit chat.

"Well, Uncle Charlie. If by note worthy you mean mildly interesting, then yes, there was. We got a new student this week, and she has practically got the whole student body hooked on her oblivious charms, and unexplainable connections with the Cullen clan. Oh, and rumours has it that her father was some sort of pork bun bandit." Angela joked, making Bella choke with laughter while trying to keep her mouth full of food contained.

"Oh, the harsh ways of this world. You get pork bun attacked once, and the reputation is stamped on you for life. Such unjust. Such humiliation!" I cried out dramatically with a fake exasperated tone. Both girls looked at me then at each other, and giggled hysterically.

My heart warmed at the current atmosphere in the car. It was the first time I got to be the funny dad that acted silly just to make his little girl laugh. Never would I have imagined myself acting this way. How life works in unpredictable ways.

**SUE'S POV**

"Seth! Can you please get off your computer and come down here to help me? Charlie and Bella will be arriving any moment now." I called out from the basement studio while putting some finishing touches to the beddings I've setup for the kids staying over.

I have been fretting around the house all day, cleaning and preparing all sorts of food. Ever since the news of Bella's return last Friday, I have been overwhelmed with a whole range of different thoughts and feelings. My first instinct was to head straight to the hospital where Charlie said Bella had been admitted, and reunite with my baby girl, but Tai Por Waverley intercepted before I could go anywhere.

She explained to me that it is best to wait for the right timing, and that time would be today. I was very tempted to brush aside her advice in my moment of urgency to see Bella, but knowing Tai Por Waverley's gift, I knew better than to go against her suggestions.

"So what is it that you need help with, Ma? Everything looks perfect down here already." Seth said amused, as he watched me fluff the pillows, and straighten the quilts.

"I need you to move this couch over to that corner over there, then vacuum this whole space. I'm going to set up the twin's sleeping area down here with the girls." I instructed Seth as I made my way back upstairs.

"Sure thing." Seth said giving me his usual laidback head nod, and waved me off. I smiled at him gratefully and made my way upstairs.

"Ma, you need to sit down for a minute and just breathe. You've been moving around nonstop all day already. Everything is perfect." Leah gently scolded me as she guided me by my arm into the living room. I sighed and sat down where Leah pointed at and gripped on to the cup of hot tea she handed me.

"I know, Lee. Sorry for running circles around you guys today. I'm just so excited to finally reunite with my snow flower. I've missed out on so much of Bella's childhood already, and just really want our reunion to be perfect." I confessed mournfully to Leah. Leah sat down next to me and gave me a comforting hug.

"I totally get it, Ma. We all missed her. But you need to slow down, or you'll burnout before they even arrive. The meeting will be perfect, because Bella already loves you. She might not remember her past, but the bond of the soul does. You'll see." Leah told me reassuringly. I gave her arm an affectionate squeeze and leaned back fully on the couch.

"You're right, dear. I do need to take it easy." I sighed out heavily, then proceeded to take a large sip of my hot tea. Inhaling the steam and aroma of my tea deeply, I felt myself relax further. Leah patted my shoulder, and headed out of the living room, leaving me to my own thoughts.

_— Flashback —_

_"Sue, Leah, I would like you both to meet my daughter, Isabella Marie Swan." Charlie said proudly, as he pushed a tightly bundled up Bella towards us in a portable hospital cot. _

_Looking down at the sweet chubby face of baby Bella, my heart felt a tug instantly. It was the same familial imprint I felt when Leah and Seth were born. Although I had stopped shifting into my wolf form the day Leah was conceived, I was still very much connected to my wolf. We both felt overwhelming joy to gain such a special bond that only a rare few had ever experienced outside of blood ties. _

_Bending over Bella's cot, I gently picked her up and held her close to me. She was so soft and warm. Her scent was one of fresh fallen snow and floral breeze. Giving her a loving kiss on her forehead, I turned her to face Leah._

_"Leah, this is Bella. Would you like to say hello?" I asked Leah in a soft encouraging tone. Leah nodded eagerly and leaned right into Bella's face. _

_"Hi little baby! You're my favourite now. I will take you home and protect you from all the meanies in the world." Leah announced confidently with no room for argument. She brushed her little hand gently across Bella's cheek, and gave her an Eskimo kiss. We all laughed at her statement, and my heart just melted at the adorable sight of the two of them. Looking up at Charlie, I can see he was also very smitten with them._

_"Excuse me everyone, I am sorry to interrupt. Renee has just informed us that she will not be breastfeeding Isabella and has requested not to be disturbed till further notice, so we have organised Isabella to stay in the common nursery till she can be discharged. We will also be preparing a formula bottle for her. Chief Swan, would you like us to show you how to prepare the milk?" The nurse politely stated with an air of awkwardness._

_Charlie looked down at Bella with a look of hurt and disappointment, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. _

_Renee was a rotten apple to the core. She appears friendly and free spirited on the surface, but inside, she is just selfish, narcissistic, and manipulative. She had no respect for Charlie and was often seen flirting with different men around Forks and La Push. Anytime our pack members crossed paths with her, our wolves always had the urge to growl at her presence. Even Tai Por Waverley who has the gift to see every aspect of a person's light and darkness frowned upon her._

_This whole drama started early on last year. Charlie was away at a work conference in DC and met Renee in a diner where she was waitressing. He became infatuated with her, and so they started casually dating. Eventually though, due to the distance and Renee's reluctance to be exclusive, they went their separate ways. _

_In a bittersweet twist of fate however, few months after their breakup, Renee called Charlie to inform him that she was pregnant, and requested he pay for her abortion costs. We all told him he should double check to make sure the baby was actually his, but Charlie being the honourable man he was, begged her to keep the baby without question, asking her to marry him with the promise of providing her with whatever she wanted. We could all see she was reluctant to say yes, but they married anyway. _

_As time went on, Renee became worse. She was emotionally abusive towards Charlie, and often used her unborn baby as a tool to manipulate and isolated him from us. We had all at one point or another tried to intervene, but after Tai Por Waverley specifically instructed us to not get involved anymore, we just made ourselves available to Charlie without meddling with any Renee related matters. _

_As Bella's due date came closer, we had hoped Renee's maternal instincts would kick in. But obviously it hadn't. Both me and my wolf were furious. How could that bitch Renee be so cold that she didn't even want to hold her beautiful daughter? And to deny Bella of the most important source of nutrition, what I would give to land her a few good smacking. I know she's always been a selfish vain woman, but this baby is her own flesh and blood._

_Looking over at Charlie, then down at Bella, I've made a decision. If that woman is stupid enough to reject the chance of experiencing the beauty that is motherhood, and she isn't going to treasure Bella, then I will step up and make sure my new pup gets everything good in this world, including a mother's love and bonding._

_"Charlie, if it's all the same to you, I would like to nurse Bella. She deserves the best, and breastfeeding is definitely the best for a baby's physical and mental health development. Seth is now fully weaned, so if you don't mind, I'd be happy to nurse her for as long as she needs it." I offered while watching Bella let out the most adorable yawn._

_"Well, that's really generous of you, Sue. Are you sure you are okay with that kind of commitment? I mean, you already have your hands full with taking care of Leah and Seth. I really don't want to burden you with a newborn baby too." Charlie said awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck._

_"Bella will never be a burden. It is an honour to be gifted with this opportunity to help nourish and nurture Bella's body, mind, and soul. And in case you haven't noticed, me and Leah love her deeply already. But if it makes you feel better, how about we make a deal. _

_You take my kids, AND Paul out for some godfather time once or twice a week, and we call it even. Sound fair?" I negotiated with a knowing grin. Charlie's eyes as predicted, widened when I added my 3 year old nephew Paul into the mix. Yes, that boy was a handful, but just like my kids, he is also in desperate need of a positive male role model like Charlie in his life. Ha! To think I get the sweet deal of having serene time at home with my sweet little Bella, while Charlie gets to spend time with three energizer bunnies that'll probably drain every last drop of energy from him by the end of the day. Definitely a bargain._

_"For Bella's sake, we have a deal. But if Paul bites or kicks me or your kids again, I'm putting him in baby jail, and your sister will need to bail him out." Charlie joked semi seriously. I laughed at his statement and nodded my agreement. _


	13. My Snow Flower Part 2

**Chapter 13 - My Snow Flower Part 2**

**Bella's POV**

"Okay, here we are. Angie, why don't you take Bella inside first, and get the boys to come out here to help me unload the trunk." Charlie suggested as he drove up the driveway of a beautiful double storey brick house.

"Sure thing." Angela replied cheerfully as she opened her car door and got out. Instead of getting out as well, I remained seated inside the car. Nervous butterflies were fluttering wildly inside my stomach, and my mind was reeling with thoughts. Rationally, I knew everyone here would be nice and welcoming, but the years of bad experience triggered my body to naturally flare up with anxiety at the thought of entering an unknown social environment. God...this anxiety thing is really getting old. Come on, Ella! Shake it off damn it!

Closing my eyes, I tried doing my breathing exercise. I focused on the fact that Charlie, Angela, and Leah would be around, and that Sue was probably a wonderful and warm lady like Esme. I knew nothing bad would happen, but it's as if I had no control over my body right now, so I just continued to count my breathing.

"Hey there, little one. Can you open your eyes and look at me for a sec?" A warm tender voice suddenly whispered out to me. I opened my eyes without thought, and turned to look at whoever broke me out of my trance. There kneeling next to my now opened car door was the beautiful and warm smiling face of a woman I've never seen before. As I met her soulful glassy hazel-green eyes, I felt a wave of warmth flood my entire body, instantly easing all previous anxiety and discomforts.

"There's those lovely eyes. Hi, Bella. I'm Sue. Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Sue asked me lovingly. I smiled shyly at her, and whispered "I'm okay now, thank you."

Sue gave me an adoring smile and brushed some fallen hair away from my face. The way she looked at me, and her gestures towards me should probably freak me out by now since she's s a stranger, but somehow, I felt very much at home with her, just as I was when I first met Leah.

Our little moment of silent observation of each other was interrupted, when the loud sound of a Ute door slammed shut behind Sue.

"What's up Papa Swan! What are we all looking at? Something weird inside your cruiser?" A loud curious male voice shouted as he approached us. I looked behind Sue and noticed that both Charlie and Angela were also there watching me the whole time I was sitting in the car.

"Oh my god, this is so embarrassing." I said as I hid my face in my hands and groaned. I heard them all laugh at my embarrassment, and Sue moved my hands away from my face while rubbing comforting circles on my back.

"So what'd I miss? Is this the Bella you never shut up about? What's wrong with her?" That same loud obnoxious voice asked again.

"Don't be rude, Paul. Can't you make a good first impression for once?"Leah chastised. I looked over at where Leah's voice was, and saw her slap Paul's shoulder hard, making him growl playfully at her while rubbing the pain on his shoulder.

Paul was quite the handsome guy. He was tall, tan, lean, and muscular, but not freakishly so. He had this mischievous cocky smirk plastered on his face when he spoke, and I can imagine just how many girls must fall for his "wolfish" charms.

"See something you like, little girl?" Paul asked me teasingly. I snapped out of my thoughts and blushed hard when I realise I was caught staring.

"I...I..uh..I was just lost in thought, sorry. H..Hi, I'm Bella." I awkwardly stuttered out, giving Paul a stupid little wave. Leah slapped him on the back of his head this time, and shoved him roughly towards the trunk of the cruiser before he could say another word to me. Paul just laughed playfully, and gave me a wink. I blushed even more in embarrassment and looked away.

"Don't mind Paul, Bella. He's harmless. Just an overgrown child. Come on, lets get you settled inside." Sue said, extending her hand out for me to take. I shyly took her hand, and allowed her to lead me towards the house.

**Sue's POV**

My mind was racing as I held onto this beautiful girl's hand. Just moments ago before Bella's arrival, Tai Por Waverley had actually called me on the phone, and shared a few important details with me.

Initially, I was unsure on how I felt about all this. I mean, I was very aware that this girl in front of me was very much part of the same soul as my baby Bella, but was a totally different person who had experienced a very hard life in another parallel universe. My mind couldn't comprehend how two people can become one, and how my inner wolf would react to these changes.

All conflicting thoughts pretty much vanished though, as my eyes finally met with this new Bella for the first time. Instantly I knew my wolf had formed a new bond. It felt like our original bond strengthened beyond those I had developed with Bella as an infant.

Leading Bella into the house, I brought her into the kitchen, and sat her down on a bar stool. I plated some fresh cookies for Bella, and she eagerly took the offered treats after saying a quick thanks. For a few moments, I just silently watched her as she happily wolfed down cookie after cookie. It was such a familiar sight, that I couldn't help but let out a watery chuckle. Bella looked at me curiously, and I returned it with an adoring smile. It didn't matter what the circumstances were, finally holding my pup's hand after so many years of separation, and watching her wolf down food just like her infant self did almost had me tearing up. My baby girl has grown up so much, yet some things still remained the same. She still loved food, and her eyes still reflected the same very young and trusting innocent soul.

"I know this is all very new to you, Bella. I can just imagine how overwhelming everything must be to you right now. Tai Por Waverley has briefly told me who you are, Ella, and it doesn't change anything to me. This home can be your safe place. There is nothing you can do or say that would drive us away. You are family to us. Our souls are bonded. As such, you are always welcome to stay here with us, and we will always protect you." I promised sincerely. Bella looked surprised, but let out a sigh of relief, and smiled gratefully at me.

"How are you so amazing, Sue. Despite knowing I'm not your original Bella, you still embrace me like I was. Aren't you even a bit mad that I basically body snatched your Bella?" My pup questioned me with a frown, as she looked down at her now empty plate.

"Sure I was feeling conflicted for a few moments when I first heard the news, but definitely not mad. The moment our eyes first met, I knew you were just as much my soul pup as the 'original' Bella. The bond and memories I had with her as an infant was special, and dearly treasured, but this here right now, is a new beginning. It's a second chance for us to build up new memories and experiences. I may have missed out on watching the other Bella grow up, but everything will work itself out." I explained while lifting Bella's chin so her eyes met mine. Tears of relief were streaming down her face, so I grabbed some tissues nearby, and wiped them away, just like I use to do when she was young.

"I know you've had a nice long chat with Tai Por Waverley recently, and I believe she has mentioned that I have special powers. Before the whole clan arrives, would you like me to show you what they are? If you like what I have to offer, and accept my help, you might actually feel a lot more at ease with all the people you are about to meet." I offered hopefully.

Bella looked at me with curiosity for a few moments then meekly nodded. I walked around the kitchen island, and reached for Bella's hand, leading her towards my office. I gestured for Bella to take a seat on the recliner chair in my office, and I closed the door behind us for privacy. Pulling up a chair to sit in front of her, I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for what I knew was going to be a very intense transitional experience for both of us.

"Bella, before we start, I want you to know that you are free to stop our conversations anytime you feel uncomfortable. I will never hurt you or force you into doing anything you don't want to. Okay?" I said softly while gaging Bella's reaction.

Bella nodded at me in response, still not saying a word, and reached out to hold my hand. My heart melted at her simple show of affections towards me. I so desperately wanted to pull her in and coddle her in a motherly embrace like I did every moment of her infant days, but knowing it might freak her out, I held back and just gave her soft warm hand a simple squeeze in response.

"Good. So as you know, Tai Por Waverley has the gift of knowing and guidance. Well my gift is similar yet very different to hers. My power has two different parts. The first is sharing and awakening memories of a person's soul. The second part is to alter, detach or reattach the feelings the memories of the soul experienced. I usually have very strict conditions people have to meet before I accept their requests for help, as it could do more harm than good. As a doctor, I however do spend a lot of my time helping those with brain damage, PTSD, and dementia." I explained as simply as I could. Bella looked at me with wide eyes and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Wow, that's quite an awesome and powerful gift you have. How have you not gone crazy being able to feel and see so much of everything from other people? You said you could help me, but I really don't want to burden you with my history. It's not an experience I'd wish upon anyone, especially not someone as lovely as you." Bella said mournfully while looking down at our joint hands where she started fidgeting with my bracelet. I was so touched by her selflessness, but also deeply pained to hear how horrible her life must have been like. Gently lifting Bella's head so our eyes met, I looked at her seriously.

"Honey, thank you for your thoughtfulness. You have a kind soul. Regardless of what the consequences could be, I would do anything to take your pain away. You may not have grown from my womb, but you are my baby by soul and nurture. Our spirits were bound from the moment I first held you in my arms, and my blood runs through every vain and cell of your body, as I was blessed with the role of breastfeeding you as my own babe since day one. Just as I would walk through the hottest fires of hell for Seth, Leah, and Paul, I would do the same for you, my little snow flower." I sincerely affirmed, while making sure Bella could see the honesty in my eyes.

**Bella's POV **

It took me a moment to soak in everything Sue was promising me. All my life, I have never had people choose me. I was always a last choice, someone to be used, and easily disposed of when something better comes up. I felt like such a loser, and just damaged goods that everyone who met me could see. So to have people like Sue and Rosalie consciously choose to love and keep me despite knowing about my past, just seemed so unbelievable.

As I looked into Sue's warm eyes, I see nothing but love and adoration. I really want to take her up on her offer to help me, but her gift seems too good to be true. Do I want to forget or change my memories? What would I change anyway? Will she make me relive memories I work so hard to suppress?

"Sue? I do want you to help me, but I'm scared. I don't even know what to ask for. What if I ended up worse off than before? What if I lose my self-protection abilities because I no longer have the memories of what could hurt me. How could this all work?" I rambled out with frustration.

Sue sat there patiently as I ranted on. Once I was done, Sue gave me an understanding smile, and took hold of both my hands.

"Bella, it's okay to feel scared. It is a very big step to take, and you are definitely not the first person to ask all those questions. To ease your worries, let me tell you how I navigate through this whole process." Sue suggested. I gladly accepted her suggestion, and waited for her to continue talking.

"So the first thing I will do is place my palm on your forehead. Then when you feel safe enough, and your soul feels ready, it will open up and reveal to me what it is you desire and/or need. Once the initial connection ends, I will then get your consent again to read through all things related to your needs and desires. This will include your memories, and all the cause and effects related to them. Does that make sense?" Sue asked me reassuringly. I nodded stiffly while biting my lower lip. Do I really want to get this vulnerable with Sue. What if she ends up feeling disgusted with me after looking through all my thoughts and memories. I really want her to like me.

_*Knock *knock_

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. Everyone was worried about Bella, so I thought it'd be best if I dropped in to touch base." Leah told us in a gentle tone as she stepped into the office. Looking up at Leah, I felt lighter. I gave her a big smile, and she smiled back at me sweetly. For some unknown reason, Leah's presence always warmed me up. She was like a ray of sunshine chasing away my darkness.

"We are fine, Leah. Thanks for checking in. Bella and I were just discussing about how we can make her feel more at home here. We'll probably come down to join you guys in about an hour?" Sue responded kindly. Leah nodded her head and began exiting the office again.

"Wait! Can you stay with me, Leah? I think I will need you here with me." I asked Leah shyly. Leah gave me a surprised nod, then looked over at Sue, silently asking if it was okay. Sue smiled warmly at her, then gestured for her to come sit next to me. Leah happily strolled over and plopped herself down heavily right beside me. She ruffled my hair briefly, and settled down with her arm lightly slung over my shoulder. This made me laugh, while Sue shook her head with her own amused smile.

"So, care to catch me up on what you guys were talking about?" Leah casually asked. Sue chuckled at her nonchalant attitude, then looked at me for a response. I guess she wanted to give me control on the flow of things right now.

"Sue was just explaining to me how she uses her gifts. Initially I was hesitant, worried about how everything would work, but now that both of you are here, I think I feel safe and ready enough to proceed." I announced meekly. Sue looked proudly at me, and Leah gave me a side hug by wrapping her strong muscular arms around me, squeezing gently.

"Sounds good, baby doll. You will be fine. Nothing to be scared of. Mum is the best in what she does. Let me quickly text Angie that all is good here, then we can get this ball rolling." Leah announced distractedly as she typed away on her phone.

_Well, I certainly hope the ball doesn't roll off the field..._


	14. The Exchange

Leah's POV

My wolf was purring with contentment having Bella huddled into my side. It still isn't very clear exactly what kind of strange bond I have with this girl. When we were younger, I recall being super protective and smitten with her. On Monday, when I finally met her for the first time since I became a shifter, I couldn't quite make sense of what our connection was. It almost felt like love at first sight, but in a non sexual kind of way. All I can tell is that it is definitely something strong, and still evolving.

I looked up at my mom as she prepared herself for what I knew would be an intense session of exchange. She eyed me silently asking if I was okay, so I nodded with a reassuring smile.

"Okay, Bella. I will begin now. Just relax and close your eyes. All you will feel is my hand on your forehead and a slight warmth emitting from my palm. There will be no pain." Mom softly instructed Bella. Bella released a stuttering breath and nodded as she closed her eyes. I felt her tuck herself deeper into my side, so I wrapped my left arm tighter around her waist, and took hold of her fidgety hands in mine to keep her grounded.

Once we both settled into our new positions comfortably, mom moved her chair closer to us and placed her palm on Bella's forehead.

Sue's POV

It warmed my heart to see my girls so comfortable with each other even after being separated for so many years. As I watched them both relax, I mentally prepared myself for what was to come. Placing my palm on Bella's forehead, I concentrated on sensing for an opening to Bella's mind. I felt a slight electrical current shoot though my arm, and I knew she was ready.

I closed my eyes and began listening to the whispers of her heart. Usually I don't allow myself to fully open up my pathokinesis or retrocognition on others during an exchange, but this was my pup. I wanted to maximise my understanding of her needs and make this experience as quick and painless as possible, so I took in a deep breath, and opened up my extra senses. The strong waves of pain, anger, disgust, fear, anxiety, rejection, loneliness and longing I could feel nearly had me remove my hand from Bella. Not only did I see and feel every detail of Ella's life, but also Bella's. It shattered me to my very core to see how similarly broken both their childhoods became without me there to protect them. My wolf wanted to run out the door and hunt down every person that had a hand in damaging our sweet pups, and I would have happily let out the she-wolf to do so, but in the end, my human rationale won. Our pups are now one. She is right here in the safety of our home. She needed us. Avenging can wait.

Bella's POV

The amount of love, serenity and security I felt being surrounded by the warmth that is Leah's arms and Sue's palm was beyond anything I've ever experienced before. Sure, the Cullen family treated me like one of their own, and Rosalie was beyond amazing, but with Sue and Leah, it's like I really was their own flesh and blood. The level of comfort and belonging I felt with them was what I imagined one would only feel with the family they grew up with. Not that I ever felt that way with my family, except maybe with Aaliyah and Jonah during our younger days.

With Sue's palm on my forehead, I could feel my whole body heat up from the inside out. I felt tingly and sleepy, and my mind was beginning to fog up. Looking at Sue's face had me wondering what exactly she was experiencing. One moment she would have a blank look, then it would transition quickly into shaking anger, sadness, pain, then nothing again. After what felt like an eternity, Sue breathed in deeply and finally removed her hand from my forehead.

"You have been heard, my little snow flower. I have seen your pains and heard your desires. Do you trust me to mend the broken and balm over the pain?" Sue asked as she gently placed her hand on my clenched fist.

I felt both embarrassed and paranoid about what she may have seen or heard in my mind, especially after seeing all those emotions running across her face not so long ago. But looking into her loving kind eyes as she softly spoke to me, I felt at ease. I didn't feel judged, or see disgust on her face. Taking in a stuttered breath, I nodded my head in consent for her to continue. Leah tightened her hold on me and gave me a kiss on my crown. I turned my head to look a her briefly, and she gave me a wink. Sue smiled at us as she removed her hand from mine and leaned back on her chair.

"This next part will bring you some physical discomfort, but it won't be for long. As you are aware, our values, character and life skills are built on both the positive and negative experiences we obtain throughout our lifetime. Therefore, what I will do is realign the levels of your cognitive dissonance. This means, instead of wiping out all your negative memories and experiences, I will only wipe out the most traumatic ones that will hinder your growth in this new life, and as for the rest, I will simply tone down the impact of those unpleasant memories to give your future physical, psychological, and emotional development a healthier new start. If things don't feel right at anytime after this exchange, we can always revisit and readjust them. What do you think?" Sue asked me softly.

I felt a bit disappointed that she won't be wiping out all the bad memories from my mind, but I guess what she said did make sense. So numbing down the feelings from bad memories would be just as good. It may just be the key to reduce my panic and anxiety attacks. Now I really look forward to see how this will all turn out. I just want to experience this second chance in life without a dark cloud constantly hanging over my head.

"I agree with your explanation, Sue. Let's do this." I announced with a shy eager smile. Both Sue and Leah laughed at my sudden enthusiasm, while Sue leaned towards me again placing both her palms over my eyes and forehead.

At first I heard and felt nothing except the breathing and body heat of my two companions, but then I started squirming in my seat when Sue's hands became borderline scorching hot on my skin. Leah held me still against her body to stop me from moving around. "Shhh...baby doll. It's almost over." Leah whispered. And with those words, a suddenly strong current of electrical pulse pushed through from Sue's hand into my body, reaching every cell and nerve in me. The sensation wasn't exactly painful, but it definitely had me trying to scratch the buzzing discomfort out of my body.

Leah's POV

As Bella began to squirm and wriggle around, I knew the exchange was nearly over. I held her tight in my arms, hoping to offer her some sort of comfort. One particularly strong movement from Bella had me unintentionally land my hand over mom's hand to make sure she doesn't break away from the connection. I let out a gasp, as did my mom. Flashes of both Ella and Bella's life entered my mind. It broke my heart, and had my wolf whimpering to see that both souls of our sweet Bella had such a tragic life. How could the spirits bring such cruel fate to these beautiful souls? Where is the justice in that?!

I looked over to my mother with tear filled eyes and she leaned her forehead against mine briefly to let me know she was there. Her eyes told me she understood my current struggles and that she will help me work out my emotions later. So for now, I just had to suck it up and focus on comforting Bella. With all the new information I learnt about our sweet girl, I felt a strong new wave of protectiveness over her, making me hold on to her tighter while whispering words of comfort and promises into her ear.

Sue's POV

Shit! Why had I been so careless? Looking into Leah's eyes, I knew she was haunted by the same images that had nearly crippled me with blind rage and a broken heart. I felt terribly bad that Leah had to witness such pain, but at the same time, this might just be the cornerstone to helping both girls grow stronger together emotionally as family.

Feeling the last of the pulses of the exchange end, I removed my hands from Bella's face and moved them to the sides of her head. As expected, Bella had fallen asleep. I looked at my daughter who was now holding onto Bella like a delicate bouquet of flowers.

"Leah, do you mind carrying Bella into your bedroom. She will need to sleep off her exhaustion. After you've settled her in bed, come back here so we can talk. I know the pain you and your wolf are holding in right now. We will work through it together " I said to my brave child while brushing my thumb reassuringly across her damp cheek.

Leah nodded silently at me and stood up slowly from her seat with Bella cradled gently in her arms like a small babe. I opened the office door for Leah and watched her walk down the hallway into her room. Heading back into my office, I flopped myself down onto the recliner the two girls were previously sharing letting out an exhausted sigh. I felt both physically and emotionally exhausted from both the exchange and dealing with my two pup's traumas. Closing my eyes, I sat there waiting for Leah to return.

*Knock *Knock

"Hey, Mom. You okay? If you need to rest, we can talk later." Leah said softly still standing in the doorway.

"Come sit, honey. I'm fine. Let's talk, then afterwards I'll take a short nap too." I said while waving Leah to come back over. Leah sat on my office chair and nodded for me to start.

"How are you feeling, Leah? I know seeing all that through our exchange must have been hard on you. Do you want me to erase everything? Undo all that you saw in Bella's memories?" I asked understandingly. Leah shook her head immediately with a deep frown on her face.

"Knowing what I know now, makes me wonder what exactly can I do to fix her. There was so many things that broke her. I mean she jumped off a freaking bridge because her life sucked that much! I just want her to have the best. To give her the best. Make sure no one will hurt her like that again. So no. Please don't erase those memories from me. I want to know what Bella err...Ella went through. This will help me understand her better. But could you perhaps erase the more graphic stuff, and tone down the emotional links so I don't feel so personally attached to those experiences?" Leah hesitantly whispered out to me while looking down at her feet. I took hold of her hands and tugged on them to gain her attention.

"Sweetheart, you are so beautiful. Your heart is gold. I understand what you are feeling. There is nothing we can do to change the past. It broke my heart too to experience her memories through our exchange. But find comfort in the fact that the spirits work in mysterious ways, and we have the chance to nurture this new Ella/ Bella back to health. And I respect your request. Let's get this done quick, so we can all take a quick nap before the whole tribe shows up at our doorstep." I jokingly said to Leah. She gave me a watery laugh and nodded. We pulled each other into a tight embrace and just soaked in the comfort. Letting go of each other, we stood up and headed towards my bedroom, settling down on my queen size bed. I got Leah to lay down and I sat cross legged facing her side. With both my palms covering Leah's eyes and forehead, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Once I felt Leah relax and open up her mind to me, I began the whole exchange process. We have done this many times, so it only took a few moments for the whole process to be the time I was done, Leah had fallen asleep and I was ready to pass out from exhaustion myself. With a quick text to Charlie downstairs to let him know us girls were all napping, I laid down on the other side of my bed and quickly succumb to deep sleep.

.

.

.

Rosalie's POV

It's only been a few hours since I parted from my mate and I'm already feeling angsty. I know she is perfectly safe and well taken cared of by Charlie and the whole Clearwater/Black clan, but I just want her to be back in my arms where I can be the one to love and protect her. Thinking back now, we really did seem to have skipped a few getting to know you steps. The raw attraction of our mating bond just pulled us together intimately so fast that there just wasn't enough time for basic courtship, or the opportunity to have conversations about our likes, dislikes and interests. I certainly will need to make that a priority. I want our relationship to be built on not just mate bonds, lust or food, but also having those intimate knowledge of each other's thoughts, interests, triggers, etc.

To distract myself from the temptation of texting or calling Bella nonstop, the moment I finished my hunt, I locked myself in my private studio and started designing a blueprint for a new project inspired by Bella. I want to keep myself busy and also at the same time create something amazing to welcome Bella back on Sunday. After about two hours of drawing, scrunching up drafts and redrawing again, I finally finished a perfect blueprint of the surprise I am going to create for my beautiful girl.

To reward myself for my hard work and miraculous amount of self control of not blowing up Bella's phone with text messages or phone calls, I wrote a short text message to Bella to let her know how much I love her and am thinking of her, accompanied by a selfie of me blowing her a kiss. Once I sent that off, I headed out of the studio and into the forest to gather the perfect woods for my new project.

Bella's POV

The buzzing sensation of an uncomfortable object digging into my hip bone nudged me from my slumber. Turning onto my back, I opened my eyes and noticed I was laying down on a very comfortable bed in a bedroom I didn't recognise. I felt surprisingly refreshed and content. I sat up and observed my surroundings. It appears I must have fallen asleep and got tucked into bed in Leah's bedroom after the whole Sue exchange. Hmm...just like Sue described, my memories of my old life and everything that happened since arriving in Twilight is still there, but wow...what happened to the heavy dark cloud that weighs me down whenever I tried to recall my old life? I can still remember them, but it feels more like recalling a nightmare I had long ago. Just snippets of knowledge of what happened, but no particular emotions attached to it. How interesting.

Sitting up in bed, I pulled out the offending object aka my phone out of my pocket, and noticed a photo text from Rosalie. Unlocking my phone, I was met with the image of my beautiful angel blowing me a kiss with texts under it that had butterflies in my stomach doing dances.

From Rosalie: Hi, Baby! How's your time down at LP been so far? Everything good? Text me when you have a moment okay. I'm missing you like crazy already and can't wait to have you back in my arms on Sunday so I can feel your lips on mine again. Meanwhile, I'm keeping myself busy by working on a new project. It will be a surprise for you. I love you so much. - XOXO Your Rosalie.

Smiling at Rosalie's text, I took a moment to think back on our amazing make out session earlier today. God, that was hot...Shaking myself out of my daze before I get too carried away, I typed up a quick response to Rosalie.

From Bella: Hey, Beautiful. I love you and miss you too. I just woke up from a nap and it would have been amazing if you were holding me like you usually do when I wake up. At least I was greeted with the gorgeous photo you sent me. ;) A lot has happened in the few hours we have been here, but it's nothing bad. I promise. Will tell you all about it on Sunday. So any hints on this surprise you're working on? You've got me really curious now. I hope you have fun! - 3 Your Bella.

After hitting send, I stood up from the bed, slipped my phone back into my pocket and took in a deep breath, preparing myself to meet everyone again plus any new company.


	15. Little shadow

**Bella's POV**

"Seth, hands off the batter! Go out there and help Paul and Charlie to get that fire going." I could hear being shouted as I descended the staircase on slightly wobbly legs. Following the voices, I found myself in the kitchen where everyone seemed to be busy left, right and center. Feeling a bit timid, I just stood there for a moment to observe the scene. Sue, Ava, Angela and Leah were standing in the kitchen doing various food preps while Tai Por Waverley sat by the dining table wrapping vegetables in foil with two toddlers seemingly crawling around under the table by her feet. Watching such a domestic homely scene really warmed my heart. Everyone looked so comfortable and delighted to be working along side each other with ease. Noticing my presence, Sue looked up from her task and greeted me with warmth.

"Bella! You're awake. Come join us." Sue said as she put her knife down and wiped her hands on a towel. I smiled shyly at her and walked over to sit down on the opposite side of the kitchen bench top. Everyone greeted me with happiness as they continued their tasks. It seems like they knew I was still feeling a bit groggy, so there wasn't much questions thrown my way. I smiled and silently watched them, occasionally accepting a bit of food here and there from random people. Feeling a gently hand on my shoulder, I looked to my side to see Tai Por Waverley smiling at me.

"Come child, lets sit you down on the sofa until your mind clears up." She says as she slowly guides me into the lounge area. Once seated on the cozy sofa, Tai Por Waverley walked off telling me she'll be back.

"Here you go, child. Sit and enjoy these. Dinner will be ready soon." Tai Por Waverley said as she handed me a five bottle pack of Yakult drinks and a tub of mini Oreos. My face lit up with happiness at seeing one of my all time favourite probiotic drinks being offered to me.

"Thanks, Tai Por Waverley. You're the best!" I thanked her gratefully as I took the offered beverage and snacks off her hands. She laughed at my eagerness and patted me on the head before disappearing again. Not wasting a moment, I quickly poked a straw into a bottle of Yakult and basically inhaled it in five seconds, and did the same thing with the next one. As I was just about to stab another straw into the next bottle in the row, I noticed a presence in my peripheral vision. Turning to my left, I was met with a huge pair of almond shaped hazel eyes peeking over the sofa armrest staring longingly at the bottles of Yakult in my hand. This must be one of the twins.

"Uh, hey there. Theo. Or was it Arlo?" I asked unsure of which twin he was. Seeing him perk up more when I said Arlo, I assumed that was his name. "Would you like to drink one?" I asked the toddler awkwardly. His eyes met mine briefly, then quickly ducked down to hide, so all I could see were his chubby little fingers still gripping onto the armrest. I smiled at his shyness and waited for a few moments quietly until his head surfaced just enough for our eyes to meet again. I gave him a friendly smile, and he just continued staring between me and the Yakult bottles in my hand.

Since I've never really interacted much with kids before, I felt slightly lost on how to progress from this awkward silent stare down. I recalled an article I once read about how to approach prey animals. Maybe it will work for shy toddlers too. Contemplating on how to execute my plan, I decided to first sit on the floor in front of the sofa and place my drinks and Oreos on the coffee table in front of me. Then I removed a bottle of Yakult from my pack of remaining four and poked a new straw into it. I subtly peeked my eyes over to where I could see Arlo eyeing my movements from the edge of the sofa, and using slow gentle movements, I placed the bottle of Yakult on the other side of the coffee table closer to the toddler.

"That bottle of Yakult is for you, Arlo. Feel free to get it anytime." I told him softly as I briefly met his eyes and pointed to the drink. He quickly ducked back into hiding, so I let him be. I turned on the tv to ease the awkward moment and pretended to watch whatever is playing instead of observing him. After around ten minutes of silence, Arlo finally waddled over to the coffee table and stood there looking at the drink I placed there for him. I gave him a soft smile and pushed the drink right next to his hand which was resting on the table.

"Drink it, little man. It's yummy." I told Arlo with a grin as I raised my third bottle of Yakult to my mouth and finished the whole drink in one dramatically large gulp. I let out a loud satisfied sigh which was accidentally accompanied by a loud burp. Embarrassed, I looked around to see if anyone else was around. Luckily no one was around except for the adorable toddler, whose eyes widened in awe. A few moments of staring later, he gave me an open mouthed smile that showed off the two very cute dimples on his chubby cheeks, melting my heart on the spot.

Poking a straw into my last Yakult, I watched Arlo finally grip his drink between two chubby hands. As I took a sip of my drink, he copied me. I laughed at his cuteness and raised my bottle to tap his. "Cheers, Arlo!" I said as we continued to sip our drinks while eyeing each other with a smile. When we finally slurped up the last of our drinks loudly through our straws, I let out another dramatic sigh of satisfaction and Arlo mimicked me in his cute little baby voice. I think I've just made a new friend!

Now that our drinks were finished, a moment of awkwardness fell upon us. The little guy just kept looking at me as if waiting for my next trick or something. He doesn't seem interested in the cartoon on tv, nor does he seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so I just took that moment between us to fully observe his appearance. He is definitely a cutie. He has light locks of brown hair on his head that curls out in random directions. He had rosy chubby cheeks and pouty little red lips. What I find the most adorable about him though was his dimples when he smiled, oh and those amazing pair of puppy dog eyes accompanied by long thick eye lashes that I have a feeling will be the death of me.

Wanting to break the staring contest that seemed to be happening, I lightly poked his chunky little arm. He looked down at where I poked him then looked back up at me. "So, little man. Your name is Arlo right?" I asked for confirmation. The toddler continued to stare at me as he nodded. Racking my brain out for what else to say, I decided to converse with him like I would any other person I just met.

"Well hi, Arlo. My name is Bella." I said as I stuck my hand out to introduce myself to the toddler. Arlo looked down at my hand and poked it like I did to him just seconds ago. I let out an amused laugh at his strange response and poked him back again. His looked a me blankly for a second then cracked a smile, and we somehow ended up in a poking war where I basically tried to poke him without letting him poke me back. I can tell he was a very gentle child, because no matter how many times we poked each other, he never got aggressive or tried to escalate the one finger poking "rule". After a few more rounds of our poking game, I decided I'm done, so with one last poke from him, I whispered out "oh no! I've run out of energy..." and dramatically laid down backwards on the ground with my eyes closed pretending to be knocked out.

There was a few moments of silence where I had my eyes closed. I was curious to see what Arlo's reaction would be, so I stayed still. It didn't take long until I heard the soft pitter patter sound of what I assumed was the toddler's movements. I could feel his presence next to my head, making me feel curious on what his next move would be. It was hard trying to resist the urge to open my eyes to see what he was up to, but I toughed it out. Silence once again met my ears and when the suspense of nothing happening for a few more moments finally got to me, I opened my eyes to see what was going on. To my surprise, Arlo was just lying on the floor calmly next to me with his face just centimetres away from mine. When my eyes met his, his face lit up and he greeted me with his happy dimpled smile. Well that was different...

"Well, I see you've made a friend." A delightful voice broke through our moment. Looking up from where I was laying, I saw that it was Tai Por Waverley leaning against the doorframe with Ava standing right next to her, both smiling fondly at us. Looking back over to Arlo, I noticed he had yet to look away from me. He really was an odd little one. Giving his cute little nose a tap, I sat up and crossed my legs to properly look at the adults.

"Hi Ava and Tai Por Waverley. I think I did make a new friend. But it seems he's a man of very little words." I responded while smiling at Arlo who was also sitting up right now. Ava let out a laugh and came over and sat on the sofa near us.

"You must be something special. Our little Arlo here usually doesn't go anywhere near strangers. He usually doesn't even engage with anyone except for his own family. We are still working on getting him to say his first words." Ava shared with a look of curiosity towards me. I blush at her compliment with a smile and looked back down at Arlo who had just scooted over to sit closer to me. Tai Por Waverley came over and sat down next to Ava.

"Oh, don't you worry about that boy. He's going to be just fine. He may not be a chatterbox or social butterfly like his twin, but he has the intelligence and instincts that's beyond his years. Isn't that right, my sweet boy." Tai Por Waverley said reassuringly to Ava while giving Arlo a wink. Arlo turned to look at her briefly nodding his head before turning his attention back to me.

"I have a feeling you've got a friend for life with this little one now." Ava said with a chuckle. I laughed at her words and ruffled Arlo's hair.

"Well, I've never really had many friends before, so I guess you'll just have to teach me how to be your friend huh?" I responded humorously looking between the trio. Arlo poked my arm again and gave me one of his full dimpled smiles as if to confirm his agreement. I winked at him and poked him back on his little dimpled cheek and he took hold of my finger in his chubby hands. Can he get any more adorable?

"Yes, I think you will both be good for each other. Why don't you two come through to the kitchen and help bring the food out to the back yard when you're done in here. All the other families should be arriving shortly." Tai Por Waverley announced as she stood up and headed out of the room. Ava followed suit leaving me and Arlo alone again.

"I guess we should go help them, huh. I'm kinda hungry now. You think they would let us sneak a bit of food before everyone gets here?" I asked Arlo playfully. He looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments then stood up and waddled over to pick up the tub of Oreos left forgotten on the coffee table. With two hands on the tub, he made his way back and handed it to me.

"Aww, thanks. Shall we open this and munch on a few before heading out?" I asked Arlo with a smile. He simply nodded and calmly sat back down facing me. Opening the tub, I gave the toddler an Oreo then popped two in my mouth, moaning at how good it tasted.

Arlo looked at me still holding his cookie with a small frown. "What's wrong buddy? Don't you like these?" I asked confused. Instead of answering me, Arlo simply reached his chubby little hand into the tub and took another Oreo. He then puts two more in my empty hand and looks at me expectantly. Finally understanding what he wanted, I popped them in my mouth as Arlo did the same. We both chewed together looking at each other with pure joy and contentment.

_Such a strange little cutie. Who knew my newest friend would be a baby. And that hanging out with him would bring out such simple happiness in me._


End file.
